


Sex Ed for Witches and Wizards of All Ages

by AhaMarimbas, ConsentFest



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anal Fingering, Angst, Blood Curse, Blow Jobs, Body Image, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Derogatory Language, Discussions of puberty, Discussions of sex, Divorce, Family Drama, Guilt, Hand Jobs, Harry Potter Epilogue Compliant, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, Jealousy, Multi, Relationship Discussions, Sexual Education, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Swearing, Unhealthy Relationships, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-10-31 01:04:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 77,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17839454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AhaMarimbas/pseuds/AhaMarimbas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConsentFest/pseuds/ConsentFest
Summary: Draco and Astoria decide on their wedding night that they're not going to raise their future children with the same outdated traditions they were raised with, especially relating to love and sex. They never could have predicted exactly how much that decision would change Scorpius' life.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Written for prompt number 68! 
> 
> The Harry Potter universe and all it's characters belong to J.K. Rowling, I was just brought in to teach sex ed!
> 
> There were a lot of people without whom this story would never have been completed:
> 
> First off, an enormous thank you to G for constantly encouraging me, and reminding me to write, and listening to all my rambling about my over complicated story line, and just being the most incredible support while I tried to get this monster of a fic completed for this fest! You're really the best!
> 
> A huge thank you to K and C as well for checking this over for mistakes and making it readable!
> 
> Thank you so much to the lovely mods, for organising such a wonderful fest, and for being so patient with my overdue self! 
> 
> And finally, thanks to you, all you wonderful readers, who make long fics like this so rewarding to write! Hope you all enjoy!

 

 

_May 2004_

 

“Ow, wait!”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Maybe we can try it like this?”

 

“Okay, yea- no! Stop that hurts!”

 

“Oh Merlin, I’m sorry.”

 

“Okay, how about-”

 

“Dear, even my virgin ass knows that’s wrong.”

 

“I give up,” Astoria whined. “This is what we get for being ‘good purebloods’ and saving ourselves for marriage.”

 

“So, don’t hate me,” Draco sighed, “but I think we need to get a book.”

 

“Not the _Pureblood’s Guide to Marital Bliss_? You worked so hard to convince your mother not to give us that!”

 

Draco shuddered at the thought. The _Pureblood’s Guide to Marital Bliss_ was traditionally handed down from parent to child as a wedding gift. It was supposed to be the all encompassing guide for a proper pureblood couple, but in actuality, it was full of stuffy old traditions and embarrassing descriptions. Every pureblood teen worth their salt had stolen a copy during their Hogwarts years and cringed at what they were reading.

 

“No, we’re going to get a real book. I saw one once, at Flourish and Blotts. It’s written by an actual healer.”

 

“We’re clueless virgins who can’t consummate our own marriage, not ill.” Astoria pointed out. “Why do you want to use a healer’s book?”

 

“Who knows the human body better than them?” Draco countered.

 

“True, okay. So what are we gonna do for tonight?”

 

“Cuddle by the fire?” Draco suggested.

 

Astoria sighed. “I guess it’ll have to do. So much for giving Pansy and Daphne the sordid details of our wedding night.”

 

Draco snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

 

\-------------------------------

 

> _ Congratulations on your purchase of Sex Ed for Witches and Wizards of All Ages! This book is a practical guide to navigating all the topics that relate to sexual education at every stage of life. You can rest assured knowing this text was written by an experienced healer, and based entirely on scientific research in the fields of sexual health, relationship psychology, and child development, among others. Have questions about terminology, puberty, relationships, sexuality, emotions, communication, body positivity or anything else? Sex Ed for Witches and Wizards of All Ages covers all that and more! Happy Reading! _
> 
> __

_ \------------------------------- _


	2. Parenthood

> Chapter 1: Teaching Terminology 
> 
> _ While it can be tempting to give children silly names for their body parts, the habits and information that they learn at this crucial stage will stay with them forever. It's important to teach them the correct terminology from the very start, to avoid confusing them. Especially when it comes to discussing genitalia, don't feel silly using words such as penis, anus or vagina. If it's normal to you, it'll become normal to them. _
> 
>  

_ May 2005 _

__

“This is delicious, Narcissa. We couldn’t have asked for a better anniversary dinner.” 

__

Draco smirked inwardly at his wife’s talent for charming his mother.

__

“Thank you, Astoria,” Narcissa beamed.

__

“Well, I would like to make a toast,” Richard Greengrass proclaimed. Everyone turned to face him, glasses raised. “To the happy couple. My dear daughter, and now my wonderful son, may you live a lifetime of happiness and pureblooded marital bliss!”

__

Draco and Astoria cringed at the mention of pureblood tradition. While they weren’t ashamed of their heritage, they had been working hard to rebuild their family name over the past year, and that had definitely meant adopting a more modernized political stance. Nonetheless, they smiled and raised their glasses, drinking to Astoria’s father’s heartfelt toast.

__

“While we’re making announcements,” Astoria said, putting her water glass down. “Draco and I have something to tell you all.”

__

She looked at Draco, who nodded encouragingly and entwined his fingers in hers.

__

“I’m pregnant.”

__

Draco remembered at the last moment to cast a sound dampening charm over the table. Even then, their mothers’ squeals were incredibly high pitched. 

__

Soon enough, Lucius had the elves pull out one of their finest bottles of champagne, Richard was lecturing Draco on the importance of choosing a strong name for the child, and Narcissa and Lisette were making plans with a bemused Astoria for what sounded like a very lavish baby shower. Draco tuned out Richard’s argument against the name Elsevier for a moment and simply basked in the happiness that was his family. His wife, his in-laws, his mother… and his father. As Draco looked up at Lucius, he didn’t quite know what he was expecting. In true Lucius fashion, Draco received a small smile, a subtle nod, and a mouthed “congratulations.” It wasn’t much, but for the first time since before the war Draco felt like things were finally going right. 

__

\--------------------------------------------

__

_ January 2006 _

__

“He’s adorable,” Narcissa cooed, rocking her newborn grandson gently. Draco smiled at her from over on the bed, where he was stroking Astoria’s hair. The poor thing was exhausted from the long and complicated birth, but she was still smiling at her baby boy. 

__

Just then, the door flew open with a sopping wet and harried looking Lucius burst in. Draco raised an eyebrow at his father’s less than poised entrance, but couldn’t help admiring how quickly Lucius had made it back. He had been in Paris on business when Narcissa had sent him an owl, and no one had expected him to be back until the next morning.

__

He shrugged his wet travelling cloak off and marched over to Narcissa, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look at his grandson. Astoria nudged Draco, who then proceeded to climb off the bed and approach his parents. Reaching out, he took his son from his mother’s arms, and handed him to Lucius. 

__

“Father, I’d like you to meet our son, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.”

__

“Hello Scorpius,” Lucius whispered, his eyes lighting up as his grandson was placed in his arms. “I’m your grandfather. It’s nice to meet you. Yes, it is young man. We’ve all waited a long time to meet you.” Lucius kept talking to Scorpius, walking slowly over to the rocking chair and sinking into it. The remaining three Malfoys all had stunned looks on their faces. None of them could remember ever seeing Lucius display affection, and yet here he was, cooing happily at his grandson. It was at that moment where Draco realised that being a father was going to be one crazy adventure.

__

\--------------------------------------------

__

_ February 2006 _

__

Draco leaned back to let the sun wash over his face, careful not to jostle his son, who was fast asleep in his arms. He had taken to sitting in the Manor’s solarium quite often, especially with Scorpius. The rest of the manor was always frigid, and he didn’t want his little boy to catch a cold.

__

Brisk footsteps told him that they had now been joined by his father. He cracked an eye open to find Lucius standing over him.

__

“Would you like to join us, Father?” Draco offered.

__

“That would be nice. I must say it is much more comfortable in here than in my office.”

__

“Have you been busy with business?” 

__

“Not really. I spent most of the morning reviewing the family finances. I’ve purchased a few investments in Scorpius’ name that I hope will mature by the time he finishes Hogwarts.”

__

“Oh? Which investments?”

__

“Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, mostly.”

__

“You bought Weasley stock?” Draco was stunned.

__

“They’re all war heroes, Draco. The public loves them, and goes to their stores regularly. Especially after the tragedy of losing one of their founding members. They also managed to stay open and thrive throughout most of the war- if their business was good enough to survive that, they can survive anything.” 

__

“I guess you’re right. Thank you for helping to invest in his future.”

__

“I’d suggest that you start investing as well,” Lucius said.

__

“What? As in investing money? I thought you just did that.” Draco pointed out.

__

Lucius sighed. “No, Draco, not a monetary investment.

__

“I may not have been the most affectionate father, and I definitely did not make all the right choices for our family. I made mistakes, and even if they’re not as grave as mine, you’ll make mistakes too. But the one thing I am glad I did, was that I taught you. I taught you as much as I could, and you were always a bright young man who learnt it all flawlessly. Knowledge is power, my boy. If you do one thing for your son, make sure you empower him with as much knowledge as you can give him. Whether you decide to be affectionate and doting, or more reserved, as I was, make sure you teach young Scorpius as much as you can. You won’t be able to control his every decision, especially as he grows older. But you can give him the tools to make the right ones.” 

__

With that, Lucius stood, and walked primly out of the room, leaving Draco to ponder his advice.

__

\-----------------------------

__

_ September 2011 _

__

“Papa! You’re home!”

__

“Yes I am buddy!” Draco bent down and scooped his son up in his arms. As he straightened up, holding Scorpius close, he spotted Astoria smiling at them from across the foyer.

__

“How was your trip dear?” She asked as she made her way towards them. Draco noticed that she was moving rather slowly, and that her movements were restrained.

__

“It went well, but I’m glad to be home.”

__

“Did you bring me a present papa?” Scorpius asked excitedly.

__

“As a matter of fact, I did.” He put Scorpius down before reaching into his pocket and drawing out a tiny gift box and his wand. He tapped the gift box once and it grew to the size of a book. He handed it to Scorpius, who immediately ran into the parlour to open it. Draco reached out and took Astoria’s hand, walking slowly beside her.

__

“Are you okay?” he asked, glancing at her.

__

She nodded. “Just tired. I’m glad you’re back.”

__

Letting go of his hand, she joined Scorpius on the sofa as he finished ripping the last of the wrapping paper off a book.

__

“How-to-make-a-little-witch-and-wizard” he read slowly. He opened the book and started flipping through the pages. Draco had been surprised on his travels in Germany to find a book about body parts for children that had the correct names for  _ all _ the parts of the human anatomy, and couldn’t resist picking it up for their son.

__

Draco and Astoria had been talking a lot in the past year about how they were going to approach teaching Scorpius about life. They had decided that they were going to approach certain things very differently from how they had been brought up, including things like sex and relationships. The book they had bought after their disastrous wedding night had some surprisingly helpful tips on what kind of information to give children at various ages. It had explained that by 6 years old, children should be comfortable using the proper names for their various body parts. 

__

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Draco joined his wife and son on the couch, where Astoria was reading to Scorpius.

__

“Now that the legs are all done, let’s look at the next step to making a little witch or wizard.” She turned the page, and Scorpius started giggling.

__

“Look mama! The little wizard is peeing!” He peered closer at the book, suddenly frowning. 

__

“Why is the little witch sitting down on the toilet? Won’t all the pee fall over the floor?” He asked.

__

Astoria and Draco exchanged a look- this was it. Taking a deep breath, Draco explained.

“Scorpius, witches and wizards don’t all have the same body parts. Wizards have penises, which is why they stand up to pee. But witches have a vagina, and because that part of their body is a different shape, they have to sit down to pee.”

__

“What’s a peenus papa?”

__

“That’s the proper name for your wee-wee. Now that you’re becoming a big boy, you need to start using the correct name for it.”

__

“Oh.” Scorpius pondered this for a moment. “So witches don’t have a wee-wee?”

__

“A penis Scorpius. And no, they don’t.”

__

“Oh. Wait, but mummy’s a witch.”

__

“Yes I am,” Astoria smiled, watching her son make the connection.

__

“So you have to sit down to pee?!” Scorpius asked in surprise.

__

“Yes I do.”

__

“So you have a- what was it called again papa?”

__

“A vagina.”

__

“Okay, a vagina. And we have a peenus?”

__

“Yup.”

__

“Okay. What’s the next step in making a witch or a wizard?”

__

Draco breathed a sigh of relief as Scorpius and Astoria kept reading. That had been significantly easier than he had expected. 

__

\--------------------------

 

> Chapter 2: Prepared for Puberty 
> 
> _ This chapter looks at the various stages of puberty. Puberty is another word that you shouldn't be scared to teach your children. Their bodies will be going through a myriad of changes, and understanding these changes can only arm them for success as they happen. One important thing to remember is that each child reaches pubescent stages at different times. We've provided a general guideline here as to when most children commonly reach each stage, but don't be alarmed if you or they start noticing changes earlier or later in their development. As always, discuss any concerns with a registered healer. _
> 
>  

_ March, 2014 _

“Mummy, Papa, I’m hooommee,-” Scorpius sang as Lacey apparated him into the foyer. He grinned at the sound of Astoria’s voice, following her directions to join her in the parlour. He walked up to the table where his parents were already sitting down to tea, dropping his school bag in the middle of the floor as he went.

“Lacey, leave it,” Draco ordered as the elf reached down for the bag. “Scorpius, that was very disrespectful of you to simply drop your bag on the floor. Please pick it up.”

“But it’s Lacey’s job to put it away. Madame Nott told us that house elves serve us and have to keep our home clean.”

Draco and Astoria exchanged a look. It wasn’t the first time Scorpius had come home from Madame Nott’s Charms Academy spouting dated pureblood beliefs.

“Scorpius,” Astoria sighed. “You need to be thankful that Lacey helps keep our home clean, and that she cooks for us. Lacey is not our servant, she is a member of our household and she deserves your respect.”

“You may hand the bag to Lacey and politely ask her to put it in your room for you,” Draco added. “But next time I see you being disrespectful to her, you can do your own cooking and cleaning.”

Scorpius nodded, picking up the bag and offering it to Lacey. “Can you please put this in my room, Lacey?”

“Right away,” Lacey squeaked, taking the bag from him. She was almost out the door when Scorpius called out.

“Wait! I forgot that Mrs Nott sent a note for Mummy and Papa!” He ran over to the elf and shuffled through the bag, before pulling out a note. “Thanks Lacey,” he said, handing the note to Astoria. As his father poured tea for him, he watched his mother’s face draw into a tight frown. 

“Am I in trouble mummy?” He asked quietly.

“Scorpius, this note says you were asking inappropriate questions. What questions did you ask?”

“I didn’t know they were bad questions, I promise! Michael was doing a show-and-tell using pictures of his new baby sister, and I asked Mrs. Nott where babies come from. She got really mad, and said that I should just be thankful that another respectable pureblood child had been born.”

He noticed his parents looking even angrier than before. 

“I’m sorry papa! I promise I won’t do it again. Please don’t be mad at me!”

Draco’s expression softened visibly. “Scorpius, we’re not mad at you. You did nothing wrong by asking that question. We’re mad at Mrs Nott because she’s teaching you some unfair ideas.”

“Like what?” Scorpius asked.

“Well for one, she shouldn’t have told you that house elves are servants, because they’re not.”

“Scorpius,” Astoria interrupted. “Does Mrs Nott tell you anything about purebloods being better than other people?”

Scorpius nodded. “She says that we will only marry well bred purebloods, and that we shouldn’t talk to half-bloods or mudbloods.” His parents gasped.

“Scorpius, I don’t EVER want to hear you using that word again. It’s a very rude word and you will get into a lot of trouble for saying it. The correct term is muggle-born.”

“Sorry Papa. I’ll use muggle-born now.”

“Thank you. Scorpius, I also want you to remember that a person’s blood or breeding does not define them. It doesn’t matter if we’re purebloods, or if someone else is muggle-born.”

“Really?”

“Yup,” Astoria added. “The important thing is that people are kind and show others respect.”

“Like saying please and thank you?” Scorpius asked.

“Of course. And not saying or doing mean things to them.” Draco pointed out.

“Okay. But won’t Mrs. Nott get mad if I say that being pureblood doesn’t make us better than other people?”

“She probably would,” Astoria said off-handedly. “But that doesn’t matter, because you’re not going to her charms school anymore.”

“I’m not?” Scorpius was surprised to see his father shaking his head.

“It’s not a good school for our family. Since your mother spends most of the day at home, she wants teach you herself until you go to Hogwarts.”

“Really? I get to spend the whole day with mummy!” Scorpius was bouncing with joy. 

“We’re not going to spend the whole day having fun though,” Astoria warned. “We’re going to stick to a schedule and study hard.”

“Okay. What are we going to study?”

“Well, I’m thinking maybe tomorrow we can explore the answer to your question.”

“Where babies come from?”

“Exactly. I have a great book that explains it really well. But that’s tomorrow. Right now I want you to go get dressed; we’re meeting grandmother and grandfather for dinner tonight.”

\------------------------------------------

_ February 2018 _

Astoria smiled as she reached out and untied the letter from Aphrodite’s leg. Scorpius’ small white owl dipped her beak briefly in Astoria’s juice, before taking off again through the open window of the solarium. Astoria opened the letter eagerly as Draco joined her with his own breakfast tray.

“Letter from Scorpius?”

“Mmhmm.” Chuckling softly at how easily Scorpius could draw her attention, Draco shifted his chair a bit to read over her shoulder.

_ Dear mummy and papa, _

_ School is going really good for me! Professor Sprout showed us some new seedlings yesterday, and I guessed the name correctly, so she gave me 10 points for Slytherin! They were honking daffodils by the way. I also got 10 points in charms because I levitated the heaviest box out of everyone! It was hard, but I got it all the way from my desk to professor Flitwick’s! _

_ Professor Flitwick said he’s retiring after this year. I wish he could stay, he’s one of my favourite professors. But he said he’s going to get a cottage on the lake and try to write a book about all his experiences. I think that would be a cool book to read, he tells the best stories! _

_ Mummy, remember how you taught me about puberty? I think it’s happening now. I have 2 spots on my face, and I’m sweaty all the time. What should I do? _

_ Can’t wait to see you both for Easter! _

_ Love, _

_ Scorpius _

__  
  


“Our baby is growing up!” Astoria said happily. “We must write back to him! And maybe we can go to Diagon today and get some treats to send as well.”

“Are you sure you’re up to going to Diagon today?” Draco asked worriedly. Astoria’s health had been deteriorating a lot faster since Scorpius had started Hogwarts 6 months ago. “If you’re too tired, I can go pick them up myself.”

“Nonsense, Draco I’m fine. I want to be able to choose what sweets to send my son. Oh, if he’s worried about spots, maybe I should send healthy snacks.”

Draco doubted his son would touch any of the ‘healthy snacks’, but the planning seemed to be giving Astoria energy, which was exactly what he wanted. She even picked up her wand to summon a quill and parchment, starting to write immediately.

_ Dearest Scorpius, _

_ Spots are normal- the other boys will get them soon too. Don’t try to use magic to get rid of them, they’ll just get worse. If anything hurts go see Madame Pomfrey, otherwise just make sure you shower and wash your face every day to stay clean. _

_ The other day, I saw a picture that reminded me of that time… _

Draco let Astoria keep writing as he worked his way through breakfast. He would add his own letter to the package later.

\----------------------------------------

> Chapter 3: Respectful Relationships  
> 
> _ Respect is the foundation of any strong relationship, be it a romantic, platonic or professional relationship. Terminology is not the only thing children learn from an early age. This chapter provides guidelines for discussing health relationships with witches and wizards of all ages. But just talking isn't enough. Try to model respectful behaviour wherever you are, since children will always learn from the example set for them.  _

_ Christmas, 2019 _

“So, Scorpi-boy. Any hot girls catch your eye at school?” Scorpius shook his head as his Uncle Blaise sat down next to him.

“Blaise, come on. Of all the questions you could have asked my son, you pick that?” Draco sighed.

“I don’t really want a girlfriend,” Scorpius said simply, taking a bite of his mince pie. He looked up to find all the adults looking at him.

“Why is that sweetheart?” Astoria asked gently.

“Albus has a girlfriend, and he’s kinda mean to her. I don’t want to be mean to someone. They don’t really have a lot of fun together. I’d rather just focus on my flying. Madame Hooch said I have a good chance of getting the seeker position next year when Thomas graduates.”

“Atta boy!” Blaise cried. “Seeker, eh? Just like your old man.”

Draco seemed fixated on another part of Scorpius’ little speech, however. 

“Did you say Albus is mean to his girlfriend?” Draco asked. Scorpius nodded.

“He gets mad at her whenever she doesn’t want to do the same things as him. She wanted to go to the scarf store in Hogsmeade, but he made her go with us to Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, and then Quality Quidditch Supplies, and then to the Three Broomsticks, and by the time we did all that there wasn’t time to get her a new scarf.”

“That wasn’t fair of him,” Aunty Pansy pointed out.

“I didn’t think so either. I was going to tell her that I could go with her to the store while everyone else was at Weasley’s, but he said I was trying to steal his girl and then wouldn’t let go of her hand all day after that.”

“You know, Scorpius, that’s not how a healthy relationship works,” Blaise pointed out. All the other adults nodded. 

“A proper relationship happens when the boyfriend and the girlfriend respect each other and are nice to each other,” Astoria added. She looked as if she wanted to say more, but suddenly started coughing. She excused herself from the table, and Draco followed.

“You know how you told us about the shopping?” Pansy asked. When Scorpius nodded, she continued. “Uncle Blaise and I go shopping together all the time. But we take turns picking a store, so that the trip is fair and we both can have fun.”

“Two people in a relationship also have to trust each other,” Astoria said, resuming her seat with Draco rubbing circles on her back. She coughed a bit more before continuing. “When your father goes away for business, for example, I don’t get jealous that he’s going to talk to other women, or scared that someone will try to steal my husband. I just trust him to respect me and our relationship.”

“So Al’s doing the wrong thing with his girlfriend?” Scorpius asked.

“Well, every couple is different, and we can’t always decide for them what is right and what is wrong. But it can’t be very nice for the girl if he’s treating her that way, can it?” Draco pointed out.

“No, Jeanie doesn’t look too happy when he does mean things to her.”

“Maybe you can remind your friend that she deserves as much respect from him as he does from her,” Blaise offered. 

Scorpius nodded. “I think I will. I have another question though. Are these rules only for couples where there’s a boy and a girl? Is it different because a boy-boy couple is weird?”

“Boy-boy couples aren’t weird, Scorpius. The right word is a gay couple. The same goes for girl-girl couples, or lesbians. They should have respectful and trusting relationships, just like any heterosexual, or boy-girl, couple.”

“So a boy can like another boy?”

“Or a girl, or he can like boys and girls at the same time,” Pansy said. 

“Really? You can like both?” Scorpius seemed more shocked by this fact than anything else that had been said that evening.

“Yup. It’s called being bisexual.” Pansy explained. “I’m bisexual. I married Blaise, but before that I dated men AND I dated women.”

Scorpius was silent for a while. Not wanting to make things awkward, Draco changed the subject. As the adults continued to enjoy Christmas dinner, Scorpius was lost in thought. He had been having a few dreams recently, about some of the players on the quidditch team. He hadn’t thought much of the first one where he had been kissing their keeper, Aleissia Bulstrode, but then he had dreamt of a shirtless Captain Thomas Blunstone and woken up with some semen leaking from his penis. His parents had taught him that having dreams about sex and leaking in the night was just part of growing up, but he had never thought that those dreams would involve  _ guys _ . And now with Aunty Pansy’s revelation that it could be both…

\---------------------------------

_ January 2020 _

“All packed dear?” Astoria asked, sweeping into Scorpius’ room. He jumped up from where he had been staring out the window and turned to nod at his mum.

“Daydreaming again?” She asked knowingly. “You’ve been doing that a lot this holiday. Is everything alright sweetheart?”

Scorpius felt the familiar churning that seemed to have settled permanently in his stomach over the last week. The more he thought about what Aunty Pansy had said, the more he realised that that was his situation too. He was  _ bisexual.  _ The next logical step would be to tell his mum, right? He usually told her everything. 

But then he thought of the people at school who made fun of that gay couple in 7th year. They called them weird. Would everyone think he was weird too? Would his parents think he was weird? He couldn’t stand the idea of his mum not loving him. No, he could keep a secret, for her sake. She was so tired and ill these days. She didn’t need to also worry about her son being  _ weird. _

“Yeah, I’m okay, mum. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Astoria said, waving her hand absently. “You and your father, you both worry too much.”

“I love you mum. That’s why I worry about you.” He reached forward and gave her a hug. He was almost as tall as her now.

“I love you too, sweetheart. And that’s why I worry about you too,” she said, stroking his hair.

“Don’t worry mum. I promise I’ll be good, and I’ll make you proud.”

“You already do, baby. Now come on; your father is waiting for us downstairs.”


	3. Rumours and lies and all those painful truths

 

> Chapter 4: Experiencing Emotions  
> 
> _Everyone experiences emotions. At a young age, children aren't always equipped to deal with them, which is usually the cause of tantrums and acting out. As they start to grow up, however, it's important to teach them that the most appropriate way to deal with their emotions is to use their (respectful!) words. Talking it out should not only help identify the emotions, but also the source and any potential solutions.  
>   
>  _It can be very tempting to start fighting, both physically and verbally, when something is upsetting us. Act quickly to discourage such behaviours, and once again, use yourself as a model. Teach them to have honest and calm conversations with their peers and the other people in their life to resolve problems.__
> 
>  

_October 2020_

“Mr. Malfoy.”

Scorpius turned to find McGonagall standing behind him, an odd look in her eyes. His friends suddenly went quiet, wondering what had prompted McGonagall to come talk to Scorpius at dinner.

“Mr. Malfoy, come with me please.”

Wondering what he could possibly have done, Scorpius picked up his bag and followed a silent McGonagall through the halls, up to her office. She motioned for him to take a seat once they had arrived upstairs.

“Mr. Malfoy, your father will be arriving shortly to escort you home. He has requested that you spend the rest of term at home. He will teach you your class work there. I will have the elves pack your clothes and books, and bring them to the manor.”

“Wait, why am I going home?”

McGonagall stared at him for a moment and he suddenly recognised the odd look in her eyes. It was pity.

“Scorpius,” McGonagall started, and if her using his first name wasn’t weird, then he didn’t know what was. As the floo roared to life, Scorpius suddenly realised what must be happening. He turned to find himself face-to-face with his father, who looked as if he had been crying.

“Scorpius, come. We have to go,” his father muttered, reaching for Scorpius’ hand and pulling him towards the floo. Scorpius got one last look at McGonagall, and noticed a tear running down her face, before he was engulfed by the green flames.

They stepped out of the floo, not in the pale blue reception room, but in his parents’ golden-coloured bedroom. The room looked warm and inviting with the light from the setting sun bouncing off the cheery walls. The pinkish light fell directly on his mother, who was leaning back in her bed, taking shaking breaths.

“Mum,” Scorpius whispered, running up to her. She smiled sadly at him, lifting her arms ever so slightly. He slipped into her embrace, tears streaming down his face. “Mum, are you okay?”

“Of course sweetheart,” she whispered, and her voice was as frail as the rest of her. “You know why? Because I have a beautiful son that I am so proud of, and who I love more than anything in this world. Because I get to be here, in this beautiful room, with the two people I love the most. So yes, Scorpius, I’m more than okay. I’m great.”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he pointed out. “What’s happening to you?”

“But you knew what I meant, sweetheart. I love you. Both of you,” she said, glancing at Draco.

“I love you too,” Draco and Scorpius both said at once. Smiling, Astoria closed her eyes slowly, and Scorpius felt a change in the room, as if all the warmth had been sucked from it. Scorpius didn’t know how long they sat there, him and his father, just holding her.The silence was deafening; the more Scorpius thought, the more he realised how much he still wanted to talk to her.  There was the letter on his nightstand that he had been meaning to send off for almost three days now, but he had been too busy with his quidditch practise and homework to spare a moment to update her. And there was the other letter, the one that sat under his mattress, that he had penned back in third year…

“I didn’t tell her…” Scorpius whispered, and a sudden gut-wrenching feeling took over him, twisting his insides into knots. He throat was tight, and he felt like he was going to throw up. Scorpius looked up at his father, who was giving him a confused look.

“I didn’t… oh Merlin.” Scorpius bolted from the room, just barely making it to the bathroom in his own suite before falling to his knees and throwing up. He sobbed as his body heaved, and before long, he felt his father’s comforting hand stroking his hair, the vomit vanishing with a whispered spell. A moment later Lacey sidled in as well, placing a glass of water next to Scorpius before disappearing silently. Tears still pouring down his face, Scorpius gulped the water, glad to no longer have that acidic taste in his mouth.

He didn’t know how long it was before Draco guided him gently to his bed, climbing in next to him and pulling him in close. He didn’t know how long the two of them stayed awake, silently listening to the other breathing. He didn’t know who fell asleep first, or when it happened. But worst of all, he didn’t know what it would be like when they woke up in the morning, without her.

\---------------------------------

It had been a week. A week of quiet meals, and contemplative walks in the garden. By some unspoken agreement, Draco and Scorpius spent almost all their time together, but mostly in silence. Draco also spent every night in Scorpius’ room. Scorpius didn’t really mind. It was comforting to have his papa there, and he couldn’t imagine how Draco could ever go back to sleeping in _that_ bedroom. Scorpius was guessing that he’d probably have one of the spares remodeled for himself eventually.

They had a quiet and very private funeral. It was just him and his papa, plus all his grandparents, Aunty Pansy and Uncle Blaise, Aunty Daphne, and surprisingly, professor McGonagall. That afternoon was the only one all week where Scorpius heard Draco speaking normally. All the adults shared stories of Astoria, drinking her favourite wine and munching on her famous chocolate cookies, prepared for the first time by house elves. Scorpius didn’t say anything though. He pretended to listen, but in reality he was too busy thinking of all the things he should have said while she was still here. He should have told her that her cookies were the best in the world. He should have told her that he missed gardening with her every time he was in herbology class. He thought of all the times he didn’t say “I love you” even though he should have. And worst of all, he thought of that big secret that had been sitting on his heart for months. He was so sure that he would have told her first, and now he had lost that chance.

Once the guests had left, and the elves had finished cleaning around him, Scorpius felt his father sit down next to him.

“Scorpius, what’s on your mind?” Draco asked, putting an arm around his shoulder. All of a sudden, Scorpius lost his composure, and sank into his father’s shoulder.

“I didn’t tell her,” he sobbed.

“Tell her what?” Draco asked gently.

“I didn’t tell her that I’m bisexual! I was supposed to tell her, and I kept getting scared!” Draco’s hands were rubbing smooth circles on Scorpius’ back, but somehow that just made him feel worse. He pulled away from his father’s embrace. He slammed his fists on the sofa cushion, his whole body shaking.

“She died, and I didn’t tell her Papa!”

“Hey, Scorpius, it’s okay. We guessed last Christmas, when Pansy explained it to you. We were just waiting for you to be ready to tell us.”

“So she died thinking I didn’t trust her?” Scorpius seemed even more distraught at the thought.

“Scorpius, that’s not true. She knew you trusted her and that you loved her. But she also knew that the world can be scary, and that everyone becomes brave on their own time. She was just really happy that you knew who you were, even if you weren’t ready to say it out loud.”

\---------------------------

_January 2021_

Scorpius dragged his feet all the way down the hall. He hadn’t been able to find Albus on the train, so he had sat with the rest of the Slytherin quidditch team instead. After two solid months in  the near-silence of the manor, his teammates sounded ten times louder than normal and he now had a pounding headache.

He pushed open the door to find all his dorm mates already there. From the looks of it, they had all come back early from the holidays. They all looked up as he walked in, and the conversation died immediately. Scorpius sighed as he dragged his trunk over to his bed. In the short walk down from the entrance hall he had been receiving looks of pity and wishes of condolences from every person in the castle. Everyone was giving him a wide berth, as if he was a box of Weasley fireworks about to go off at any minute. He expected the same from his dorm mates, and just wanted to get it over with, so that things could go back to normal.

“You’re back!” Albus exclaimed. “Boy, wait until I tell you what happened while you were gone. You won’t believe the shit luck I’ve had.”

Scorpius glanced around at the others, who seemed to be avoiding his eye. He flopped down onto his bed, staring up at the emerald canopy as Albus kept talking.

“So, I invited Jeanie to come to the burrow with me over the break. She said she’d see, but then she didn’t answer my owls all break. I finally flooed her on Christmas morning, and she broke up with me! I was so embarrassed. I had told everyone that my girlfriend was coming over for Christmas, and then on Christmas morning she decided that she’d rather spend time with her own family. She spent all break with them! Isn’t it important to meet my family too?”

Scorpius was only half listening as he heard Albus get more and more worked up about his girlfriend, or lack thereof. Albus hadn’t even acknowledged that he had been gone for months, or that he had just lost his mum. Scorpius had written to him the day before the funeral, explaining why he was gone, but he had never received a reply. He had been too consumed in his grief before to notice it, but now that he was back, it hurt to see Albus blatantly ignoring his situation.

“Scorpius, are you even listening to me?”

Scorpius sat up, staring at his friend. Finally he pulled his shoes off, before deciding that he couldn’t be bothered to do much more in preparation for bed. He lay back down without even glancing at Albus.

“Sorry, I’m suddenly really tired, I’m not focusing. How about we talk in the morning? Goodnight.”

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled the curtains around his bed shut. He found one last burst of energy to cast a silencing charm, before breaking down into tears. Despite having promised himself he wouldn’t do this, Scorpius spent his first night back crying himself to sleep. The new term clearly wasn’t off to a good start.

\---------------------------

 

_March 2021_

Scorpius was fuming. He had just lost the end of the year match, to Gryffindor of all houses. Granted, his opponent had been James Sirius Potter, the most skilled seeker in the student body and 3 years his senior, but it still irked him.

He collected his broom, sulking through the crowd of students now milling about the pitch. Most of them were here to congratulate the winning team, or to meet up with their friends. He had just decided to take the long way around the pitch to avoid the James Potter fan club when it happened.

“Hey Marissa!” James called out to a 6th year Ravenclaw girl. She looked up from her conversation with her friend, confused. “I won the match! How about you give me a little celebratory kiss?” The rest of this friends laughed and jeered while James smirked at Marissa.

“I don’t think so,” Marissa said timidly, trying to return to her conversation. It was what James said next that made Scorpius snap.

“What a hoe!” James called out, the guys behind him roaring with laughter.

“Actually,” Scorpius called out, “hoe is a derogatory term for someone who just wants attention. Like you, James. The right term for Marissa over there is _self respecting woman who knows to avoid jerks like you._ ”

“What did you just say to me?” James asked menacingly, stalking towards Scorpius.

“You heard me. You may be a dick, but you’re not deaf.” That was the last thing Scorpius remembered saying before everything went black.

\---------------------------

Scorpius woke up to the sight of white and the sterile smell of the hospital wing. He rolled over to find Albus sitting by his bed, munching on a box of Bertie Botts.

“You’re awake. How do you feel?”

“Like I was run over by a bull,” Scorpius groaned. Albus nodded.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good metaphor for being beat up by half the Gryffindor team,” he said sagely.

“Half the team? I only remember James punching me.” Looking down at his arms, Scorpius could see bruises and a cut mark. He wondered what other marks he’d have on his body.

“Well, he got a good head start, but the others joined in too, though after you blacked out apparently.”

They were silent for a few more minutes before Albus spoke again.

“Why did you pick a fight with James?” he asked.

“Because no one else would stand up to him,” Scorpius answered.

“So why did you have to? James is the most popular guy in school, he can say what he wants. And anyways, was what he said really so bad?”

“Yes it was Albus! It was horrible and disrespectful. I don’t even know why he’s so popular to begin with.”

“It’s ‘cuz he’s so cool.”

Scorpius was starting to get angry. “Being an asshole doesn’t make you cool, Albus, it makes you an asshole.”

“Did you just call my brother an asshole?” Albus cried.

“Yeah I did. ‘Cuz he _is_. And you’re not far off either.”

“What the hell Scorpius? You’ve been so distant recently. You’re no fun anymore, and you’re never even there for me! And now you’re calling me an asshole?”

“ _I’m_ not there for _you_?” Scorpius yelled. He was about to unleash all the feelings he had been bottling up for the past few months on Albus when Madame Pomfrey came hurrying up to them.

“Boys, there is no yelling in the hospital wing. Mr. Potter, I think you should go, I can’t have you getting Mr. Malfoy all worked up.”

“Yeah, get out of here!” Scorpius spat. “And don’t talk to me again!”

“Gladly,” Albus muttered darkly, stalking out of the hospital wing. As he allowed himself to be pushed back against the bed and fussed over by Madame Pomfrey, a hollow feeling settled in Scorpius’ stomach. Had he really just told his best friend not to talk to him again?

Albus hadn’t been much of a best friend this year though, Scorpius thought bitterly. It had been almost 3 months since term had resumed, but not once did Albus even acknowledge that Astoria had passed on, or ask Scorpius how he was doing. He only seemed to want to talk about himself, how Jeanie had broken up with him, how his marks were on the decline, and how his mum was nagging him a lot these days. At least the wanker still had a mum.

“Mr. Malfoy, are you listening to me?” came Madam Pomfrey’s strict voice. Scorpius looked up at her guiltily.

“As I was saying, you are to stay here overnight, just so that you can heal in peace without the excitement in the castle. I will release you after breakfast tomorrow, and you can go straight to History of Magic.”

\--------------------------------------

Scorpius walked into History of Magic at least 10 minutes late (his watch had broken in the fight so he couldn’t actually know), only to find that there was 1 spot left- right next to Albus. Making up his mind, he walked right past Albus and sat down on the window sill, pulling out his notebook and quill and copying down what Binns was saying. He could feel all eyes on him (or at least the ones that weren’t asleep yet), but he stared resolutely at his parchment, forcing himself to write down everything Binns was saying.

When the class had been dismissed, he made a beeline for the door, making sure to get to Transfiguration first so that he could sit next to _anyone_ else. He sat down in the front row, purposely leaving the seats next to him empty so that people would want to sit. As the class filed in, Scorpius realised that everyone was sitting elsewhere, including his own housemates. When professor Bell finally started the lesson, the only two spots left were the ones on either side of Scorpius.

This trend seemed to continue all day. By the time dinner rolled around, Scorpius was starting to wonder what was happening. He walked into the Great Hall, and didn’t realise until he sat down at his table that a lot of people seemed to be staring at him.

“Michael, what’s happening?” Scorpius asked one of his dorm-mates. Michael simply glared at him, and then shifted down the table. Sighing, Scorpius looked around and noticed Rolf sitting nearby, at the Ravenclaw table. Lorcan and Lysander were the incredibly clever Newt-Lovegood twins, and usually didn’t care about public opinion. They’d be able to help.

“Hey, Lorcan,” Scorpius said, sitting down across from him.

“Scorpius,” Lorcan said nervously, glancing around. “What brings you over here?”

“I was wondering if you could tell me why everyone’s acting so strange? They all seem to be mad at me, but I don’t know why.”

“I… well… are you really cursed?” Lorcan asked nervously.

“Cursed? No! Who would have cursed me?”

“James has been telling everyone that you’re cursed, and that if they get too close to you they’ll catch it too.”

“Is this whole school full of idiots? Curses don’t act like a virus, they have to be applied directly to a person. So even if I was cursed, why would people be scared to sit near me?”

Lorcan shrugged. “People will believe anything if a person of influence says it to them. I think James told everyone that when he touched you, the curse latched briefly onto him and gave him a bad luck spell with caused him to lose his prefect badge.”

“It amazes me that no one seems to have realised that the real reason he got demoted was because he punched you.” Scorpius looked up to find that Lysander had joined them. Lorcan looked much more at ease now that his brother had arrived, and Scorpius realised the two of them must have been planning something. They were known for their pranks, and even more so for never getting caught.

“What are you two up to?” Scorpius laughed. He was relieved that Lorcan’s discomfort hadn’t been because of his presence.

“You’ll see,” Lysander smiled, before digging into his pudding.

\----------------------------

It turned out the twins had actually replaced James’ hair gel with pureed oatmeal. He walked into breakfast looking completely normal, but by the end of it, there were white flakes all over his head. It wasn’t their most creative work, but Scorpius saw it for what it really was- a show of solidarity.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have many classes with the Ravenclaws, so for the most part he was still sitting around alone, until their next history class.

As usual, the spot next to Scorpius was empty. The history classroom being as small as it was, however, the late straggler would have to sit next to him anyways. This straggler turned out to be none other than Rose Granger-Weasley.

Rose was a model student: she achieved straight O’s, was very clever, and had a perfect attendance record. She was often compared to her mother, who was currently the most popular candidate in the upcoming election for Minister for Magic. Which was why everyone looked up in surprise when she walked in 5 minutes late.

As she walked up to the table where Scorpius was sitting, Albus hissed at her.

“Rose! Where have you been?”

“Mind your own business,” she hissed back.

“Well, grab your chair and come sit here with me,” Albus whispered, though unfortunately his voice seemed to carry across the room. Scorpius could feel all eyes on him and he bent his head low over his notes, pretending not to be paying attention. As she pulled out the chair, he finally looked up, assuming she would listen to her cousin and move over next to him. The whole class was surprised to see her plop down in the chair right there, pull out her notebook, and turn to Scorpius.

“Would you mind sharing what I missed with me after class?” she whispered, leaning towards Scorpius. He nodded and bent his head back over his parchment, trying to focus his attention once again on Professor Binns.

When class finished, Scorpius headed to the library. The thought of lunch made him queasy; he didn’t think he could stand a third day of the glares and whispering. For the second time that day, he was surprised when Rose sat down next to him.

“Notes,” she said simply, holding out her hand. It took Scorpius a moment to realize she was asking for the history notes, and  he scrambled to hand them over. She pulled out her wand, copied his first page, and handed them back. She then pulled out her own notes and started going over them.

“You… are yo… why are you sitting here?” Scorpius asked, confused.

“Oh I’m sorry, were you looking to study alone?” Rose asked in surprise.

“Not at all,” Scorpius said quickly. “It’s been pretty boring with everyone ignoring me these last few days. I was just curious why you weren’t.”

“James is always causing trouble for people, he’s a total shit. I don’t believe a word of what he says about you being cursed. Anyway, curses aren’t contagious.”

“Exactly! Finally, someone with some brains in this school.” Rose smiled at that.

“I wanted to say it was really great of you to stand up to him like that. I’ve tried, but being his little cousin, he doesn’t usually take me very seriously.”

“He doesn’t seem to take anyone very seriously,” Scorpius grumbled.

“From what I heard, McGonagall was pissed. She took away his prefect badge, a ton of points, and he also has detention until he graduates.”

“And yet, instead of learning his lesson, he decided to go and get his revenge.” Scorpius sighed. “Whatever. I’ll just-”

“Rose! What are you doing with that loser?” They looked up to find Albus sneering at them.

“He’s not a loser, Albus. He’s your best friend, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Not anymore,” Albus and Scorpius said at the same time. The glared at each other for a moment, before Scorpius packed up his stuff and stormed out of the library. He didn’t even pay attention to where he was going, until he walked right into the headmistress.

“I’m sorry, headmistress, I didn’t see you there.”

“Clearly.” She gave him a curious look before continuing. “Mr. Malfoy, is everything okay? You seem quite upset.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he grumbled, not looking at her.

“Well, why don’t you stop by my office later this afternoon. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. I’ll see you at 5.” With that, she marched off down the hall, leaving a now worried Scorpius behind.

\-----------------------------------

“Come in,” came McGonagall’s voice when he knocked on her door that afternoon. He stepped in slowly, looking around at all the portraits on the wall.

“Have a seat,” she offered, pointing at the chair in front of her desk. Scorpius was surprised when she offered him a tin of biscuits.

“Mr. Malfoy, I wanted to ask how you’ve been doing since you left the hospital. Your professors have been mentioning that you’re being very quiet these days.”

“It’s hard to be loud when no one wants to talk to you,” Scorpius muttered.

“What do you mean no one wants to talk to you?”

Scorpius shrugged. “They all think I’m cursed, and apparently no one pays attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts because they all think they can catch the curse from me.”

“What a ridiculous thought. Curses don’t spread like the common cold. But I do wonder, why would they think you’re cursed?”

Scorpius hesitated. If he told McGonagall that James was spreading rumours about him, she would punish James again, which would lead to even more retaliation. But he had also told her enough that she wasn’t likely to drop it.

“I don’t know. Maybe I am cursed. I lost my mum, got beat up by a bunch of 7th years, and then got into a fight with my best friend, who to be fair isn’t being much of a friend recently. And no one else wants to be my friend right now either, since apparently it’s not cool to remind people that women should be respected. No one sits with me at my house table, no one talks to me in my dorm. So yeah, I’d say I’m cursed.” Scorpius sat back, breathing hard from his rant.

“I see. That much worry could make anyone feel cursed. Especially when there’s no one to stand by them.”

“Yeah,” Scorpius agreed, feeling quite sorry for himself.

“It’s lucky that you’re not in that position then, isn’t it?”

“I- what? No one wants to even sit with me, Headmistress. Why would they support me?”

“You mentioned that you’re considered uncool because you advocate for respecting women. Do you think that makes you uncool amongst women too?”

“I- no, I guess not.”

“Did you know that 64% of the people in Hogwarts are women?” McGonagall said conversationally. Scorpius was starting to see her point. He thought back to his conversation with Rose, and how she had reprimanded Albus.

“No, I didn’t know that. How fascinating.”

“Indeed. On a vaguely related note, Mr. Malfoy, I wanted to warn you that I will be writing to your father tonight. My message will not show you in a negative light whatsoever, but it is still my responsibility to let him know that his son was injured. I thought you might want to send your own message to let him know how you’re doing now.”

“I, um, okay. I’ll write to him tonight. Thanks for the warning.”

McGonagall gave him a brief nod. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss, Mr. Malfoy?”

“Um, I don’t think so.”

“Very well. In that case, you may return to your house.” Scorpius had actually been planning to go back to the library, but he recognised a dismissal when he heard one.

“Oh, and Mr. Malfoy?” she called, just as he had one hand on the door handle.

“Yes headmistress?”

“Astoria would have been very proud of how well you’re handling everything.”

Not wanted McGonagall to see the tears forming in his eyes, Scorpius nodded quickly, before rushing out the door.

\------------------------------

_Dear Papa,_

_McGonagall said she would be writing to you tonight, but she didn’t say what she would write, so I wanted to send you my own letter stating that IT WASN’T MY FAULT. It’s that stupid jerk James Potter who started it. The guy is a total arse (pardon my language, I’m just being accurate). He called Marissa a hoe in front of the whole school when she didn’t want to kiss him for winning the quidditch cup (yeah, I lost. For the last time, hopefully). I had to say something. In hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have gotten beaten up by half the Gryffindor team if I hadn’t called him a hoe right back, but someone had to put him in his place._

_Before you start panicking, I’m okay now. Physically, anyway. Madame Pomfrey worked her magic, as usual._

_Mentally, not so much. I got into a huge row with Albus- he actually defended his brother! How was I ever friends with such a disgusting person?- and James decided to retaliate by spreading rumours about me, so now no one will talk to me anymore. It wasn’t even a well thought out rumour, but he’s the most popular guy in school, so they all listen to him._

_Except for some of the girls. I sat with Rose Granger-Weasley today, and she’s actually really nice, despite her jerk cousins. She also introduced me to Eloise Banks, who thanked me for standing up to James. I guess I’m starting over with new friends, but at least this time I know not to pick idiots._

_Talking to them isn’t the same as talking to Al or mum was, though. It’s not even the same as talking to you. I miss you Papa. I can’t wait to come home for the holidays._

_Anyway, it’s getting late and I have class first thing tomorrow, so I’ll end this here._

_Goodnight papa. I love you._

_Scorpius_

\------------------------------

_Draco,_

_First of all, I am writing to inform you that Scorpius was injured this past week. He was involved in an altercation, and was badly beaten by a few members of a rival quidditch team. Before you start panicking, let me reassure you that he has been completely healed by Madame Pomfrey, and that he is attending classes and meals as normal._

_I did however, want you to know what happened. Slytherin lost the end-of-year quidditch match to Gryffindor (though Scorpius played admirably. In a year or two I don’t doubt he’ll be even better than you were). This unfortunately seemed to give a few boys on the winning team the idea that they were allowed to make disparaging comments towards their female classmate. I was most impressed that Scorpius chose to stand up to them and remind everyone in the vicinity that women deserve as much respect as men (though I will admit I would have preferred if he could have done so without insulting the other boys right back). I want to commend you, and Astoria, may she rest in peace, for how well the two of you have raised your son._

_I was actually hoping that you would be willing to help another set of parents with the same goal. If you are open to the idea, I would like to ask the parents of the child who fought with Scorpius to contact you for advice on how to teach their own children about respect and harassment._

_I understand completely if this is too difficult of a request for you to accommodate, but if you are at all willing to help out, I would be grateful._

_Hoping to hear from you soon,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

\-----------------------------

Things had been going a lot better for Scorpius since he had taken McGonagall’s advice into consideration. He now spent a lot of time with Rose, and her surprisingly large friend group. They were about 8 girls in total, from all the different houses. In the two weeks since he started becoming friends with them, they had formed a tradition of going to the library together after dinner. He was quickly starting to trust them, and wasn’t feeling quite so lonely anymore. He was heading to the library with one of the girls, Anne, when his newfound peace was once again disrupted.

“Hey look, it’s Scorpius the hypocrite,” came a familiar voice from behind them. Scorpius turned to find himself face-to-face with his former best friend. “After all his talk about _respecting women_ he’s stringing at least 5 girls along at once!”

“If you can’t see women as more than sexual objects, Potter, you don’t really deserve to know them anyways.” Scorpius spat. He continued to make his way down the hall with Anne, ignoring Albus’ continued taunts and insults. He was hardly 10 steps away when McGonagall appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, walking towards Albus with an eyebrow raised.

“Ooh, he’s in for it!” Anne said gleefully. “Just like his brother, that one. You’d think the saviour’s kids would be less evil.”

“Yeah,” Scorpius mumbled absently, a queasy feeling settling in his stomach. They may not be friends anymore, but Al’s behaviour still bothered him, and he felt bad that McGonagall now seemed to be on his case. There was nothing to be done for it though, so they kept walking.

\----------------------------

_Dear Harry and Ginny,_

_I am writing to inform you that both your sons have been behaving less than acceptably as of late. James seems to be quite comfortable leading his friends in the harassment of his female peers, and Albus seems to be learning the same inappropriate attitudes from his brother’s example. Their heads of houses and I have spoken to both of them about the consequences of harassing their classmates, but I believe that this is a situation in which parental guidance will be very necessary._

_I am asking that you take some time to discuss the proper way to behave around their peers, especially women, with your sons over the upcoming Easter break. I understand that this can be a daunting topic for many parents. If this is the case for you, I would highly recommend that you get in touch with Draco Malfoy. He has been doing a spectacular job of teaching his own son, and has agreed to meet with you should you deem it necessary._

_This behaviour cannot continue, and I hope to see some improvement upon our return from the break._

_Minerva McGonagall_

\----------------------------------------

_April 2021_

“Master Draco, Mister Potter is here to see you,” Lacey squeaked, leading Potter into the drawing room.

“Thank you Lacey. Could you please bring us some tea?” Draco asked, closing his book and standing to greet Potter.

“Right away sir!”

“You still force house elves to work for you?” Potter sneered as Lacey disappeared around the corner.

“No,” Draco replied, already fighting to keep his cool. “I employ Lacey with respect and fair wages because she’s the only elf who was brave enough to stick around through the war, and is as much a part of our family as Scorpius or I. Plus, at the moment, she’s Scorpius’ only friend. They write each other daily.”

Potter scoffed. “Your son doesn’t even have friends? And McGonagall wants us to take parenting advice from you?”

“I just said he was friends with Lacey. Who’s discounting elves now? And he did have human friends too, until the school jock decided to turn everyone against him for being respectful to women,” Draco said coolly.

“School jock?” Potter asked, confused.

“Yeah, I’m not too familiar with the kid, but apparently he’s the Gryffindor quidditch captain and their star seeker, so everyone listens to him, even when he’s whistling at his classmates and calling women hoes in front of the whole school.”

“James would never behave like that.”

“What did he tell you about why he got into a fight with Scorpius then? Because that’s what I heard from my son, and the headmistress confirmed it.”

“I- even if it is true, you know it’s just locker room talk. We did it when we were young too- boys will be boys,” Potter said with a shrug.

Draco stood up suddenly, glaring at Potter. “I _dare you_ to explain that to your wife, or your friend Granger. Go ahead! And once you’ve had your balls handed to you on a silver platter, you can come apologize, both for your ignorant comments and all the pain your boys have inflicted on my son. But while you still believe that “boys will be boys,” you can get out of my house and never return.”

“You said we could talk now,” Potter whined.

“I just lost my wife, Potter. My son just lost his mother. And instead of supporting him through such a difficult time in his life, his so-called friends cast him aside because he tried to teach them what was right. I agreed to this because I thought you just needed some advice on how to guide your sons, and that maybe this would help give my son the support system he needs. But right now all I’m seeing is that we’re better off without the Potter ‘men’,” Draco mimed air quotes with his fingers, giving Potter an ugly look, “in our lives. Now get out before I make you.”

He felt little satisfaction as he watched Potter storm back across the foyer and out the door. If this was really what the Saviour thought, what kind of a role model were hundreds of young people getting? Draco shuddered at the thought.

\---------------------------

_Day 1, Easter Holidays, 2021_

“Papa?”

“Yes, Scorpius?”

“I wanted to ask, if it’s okay with you…” Scorpius trailed off and glanced down at a paper in his hands.

“What is that?” Draco asked gently, holding his hand out for the page. When Scorpius handed over the bright purple paper, Draco was surprised to see an ad for a campaign event that Granger was hosting this week.

“You want to go for Granger’s campaign rally? Why the sudden interest in politics?”

“Well, it sounds like her platform is pretty cool. I really wanted to go because Rose said they could use all the help they can get with the campaign. She invited me over the night before to help pack little handout bags, and her mum said I could sleep over and go with them to the rally the next day.”

Scorpius could see the concerned look in his father’s eye.

“I promise I’ll behave Papa, and it’s only for one night! I’ll spend all the rest of the break with you.”

Draco smiled sadly. “I’m not worried about that Scorpius. You do know who her cousins are, right?”

Scorpius bit his lip as he nodded. It was hard to forget.

“I just don’t want to risk you getting into a fight with them.”

“I’ll behave myself Papa, I promise. I won’t say anything mean or pick fights with anyone.”

“I’m not worried about you starting the fight, Scorpius. Even last time it was James who threw the first punch. It’s just, I never got on with that family when I was in school, and I’m worried that they wouldn’t stand up for you against their own children.”

“I don’t think they’re like that, Papa,” Scorpius frowned.

“I don’t think so either son, but all the same, I don’t want to risk it. Write to Rose. If her cousins will be there, I don’t think you should go. If you really want to spend time with Rose, you can invite her to visit the Manor, or you can go over on a day when the Potter children aren’t present.”

Scorpius sighed in defeat. He just really hoped Al and James wouldn’t be helping with this campaign.

\------------------------------

_End of Easter Holidays, 2021_

“Hey Rose!” Scorpius called over the noise of the crowd.

Draco smiled sadly at the sight of his son running toward his new friend along the train platform. As glad as he was that Scorpius was making new friends, Draco really wasn’t eager to see his son leave for school again. The past few months had been quite lonely for him.

“Draco.” Draco turned to find Granger standing next to him.

“Granger,” he replied with a nod.

“Thank you for agreeing to let Scorpius join us last weekend. Even if he wasn’t able to attend the actual rally, he was a huge help the night before with folding pamphlets and putting together handout bags.”

“I’m glad he could be helpful. He was really excited to be invited for a sleepover.”

“He and Rose seem to be becoming very close friends. She writes home about him all the time.”

“Likewise. I think she’s a good influence on him. I’m glad they get along.”

“Hi Mr. Malfoy!” Draco turned around to find that Scorpius and Rose had returned, having stowed their luggage on the train.

“You must be Rose,” Draco said, reaching out to shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Before Rose could respond, the warning whistle for the train blew. The children gave their respective parents quick hugs and kisses, before hopping back onto the train. Draco waved sadly until Scorpius was no longer visible.

Deciding he should probably get home before he broke into tears right on platform 9 ¾, Draco turned to leave, only to find that Granger had been joined by the chosen twat.

“Uggh,” Draco grumbled, trying to step around them.

“Malfoy, wait!” Potter said urgently. “Uh, I mean, um, Draco. Please. I’m sorry about what I said last week. You were right, that’s a terrible attitude for me to be teaching my kids. I’ve been thinking a lot, and I really could use your advice, if you’re still willing to help?”

Draco stared in surprise. What he thought was a few seconds must have actually been at least a minute, because Potter continued.

“Geez, Malfoy, isn’t this usually the part where you say something like ‘It’s okay” and then agree to help?”

Draco sighed. “Sorry for my momentary freeze, but the ideas you were perpetuating before are really not okay. However I appreciate the apology, and am really glad to hear that you plan to start being a part of positive change in our society.”

“Err, okay. So, can we meet sometime to talk? I’m actually free now if you want to grab a coffee or something?”

“Um, it was really hard to put Scorpius on the train this time and I’m not thinking straight. I’ll owl you when I know for sure what works.” Draco made a show of checking his watch before mumbling, “I’d better get going, don’t want to be late.”

Potter nodded as if he knew exactly how Draco was feeling right now. As Draco turned and marched away, Potter called him to a halt.

“Malfoy… I know it’s really late, but I’m so sorry for your loss.” His heart in his throat, Draco couldn’t do much more than nod before his legs carried him away.

\----------------------------------------

  


_Mr. and Mrs. Potter,_

_Please find included in this package a copy of “Sex Education for Witches and Wizards of all ages.” Before you run away screaming, let me assure you that the book is not all about sex._

_Astoria and I have been using this book for years to teach Scorpius about his body and about healthy and respectful relationships. It covers everything from teaching a 5 year-old the correct body-part names to teaching a 15 year-old protection charms. Not all people realise it, but respect and consent are also a huge part of sex and relationships, and this book does an incredible job of explaining it._

_I hope this book will assist you in teaching your sons to grow into respectful men, and in teaching your daughter to stand up for herself and retain control of her own body._

_If you want to further discuss the content of the book, or how we applied it with Scorpius, feel free to send me an owl. I can also make arrangements to meet in person if that suits._

_Regards,_

_Draco Malfoy_


	4. That which we call a Rose

 

> Chapter 5: The Talk(s)  
> 
> _This chapter looks at the mechanics of sex, but also some tips on how to effectively discuss it. Discussing sex, whether it's with a partner, your family, or peers, can be a daunting task. It's important to keep an open mind in all discussions- sex is normal and when done right, can be a lot of fun. If your child is armed with the right terminology and a strong understanding of respectful relationships, discussions should flow smoothly. Always encourage them to ask questions, to avoid misconceptions, and remind them that safety always comes first. Two very good questions to always ask when engaging in any kind of sexual activity are: 1) is it consensual? and 2) is it safe?_
> 
>  

_July 2021_

“Good morning Papa” Scorpius said happily as he sat down to breakfast.

“Good morning young man. How did you sleep last night?”

“Like a log. I think I was pretty tired from our hike through the grounds yesterday.”

Draco chuckled. “You’re not the only one. We might have been a little over excited about starting summer. I could hardly drag myself out of bed this morning.”

“That’s because you have the most expensive mattress money can buy,” Scorpius grumbled. He had been right in predicting that his father would claim a new bedroom. He hadn’t anticipated how luxurious he would make it though. Mum would have cringed at the sight of emerald studded bedposts, and the silk tapestries. Scorpius was just jealous that his father hadn’t bought that new dream magic mattress for him too.

“I told you I’ll get you one when you graduate. I just don’t see the point in one now when you’re only home for 2 months anyways.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Oh, I forgot to ask, did any mail come for me?” Scorpius eyed the small pile of letters at his father’s elbow eagerly.

“As a matter of fact, there are two letters here. One normal looking blue enveloppe, and one bright red howler. Who would be sending you a howler Scorpius?”

Scorpius winced. He had an idea, but that thought would take a bit of explaining.

“Hasn’t it already told you?” Scorpius asked timidly.

“I put it under a stasis charm,” Draco explained. “It won’t go off until you touch it.”

“Oh. Well, you can just keep it there, under that stasis charm. I can just take the blue one.”

“Oh no,” Draco smirked. “I’m very curious as to who would want to yell at my son. You won’t get your blue letter until I’ve hear the contents of that howler.” Draco levitated it across the table, landing it neatly in front of Scorpius, who could tell when he had been defeated. Taking a deep breath, Scorpius picked it up.

“SCORPIUS HYPERION MALFOY! HOW DARE YOU ASK MY DAUGHTER OUT ON A DATE? SHE IS A YOUNG, IMPRESSIONABLE GIRL- dad! Stop it, you’re embarrassing me!- Ron, this is ridiculous, she’s old enough to go on a date if she wants- NO ONE COMES NEAR MY LITTLE GIRL WITHOUT GOING THROUGH ME FIRST- dad! Stop it! - I CAN’T STOP YOU FROM TAKING HER OUT MALFOY, BUT MARK MY WORDS I WILL BE WATCHING YOUR EVERY STEP- Ron, stop scaring the poor boy, you liked him when he came for Easter- THAT WAS BEFORE HE WAS DATING MY DAUGHTER- Merlin, fine dad! You can chaperone us! Just stop this nonsense!- I’M WATCHING YOU MALFOY!”

Scorpius didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or go hide in the cellars for the rest of eternity. Luckily his Papa seemed to be getting some amusement from his humiliation.

“So you asked Rose Granger-Weasley on a date?” Draco coughed, trying his best not to laugh at his son. “Knowing that she’s the daughter of the Head Auror and soon to be Minister for Magic?” Scorpius glared at his father, who had given up all pretense and was now outright laughing. “And you _didn’t_ expect a howler? Oh my naive little boy.”

“Yes, it’s hilarious. Can I read the one that’s actually from Rose now?”

“Oh, of course,” Draco said, tossing the blue letter over. “Though spoiler alert, her mother already wrote to me, the answer is yes. And as you heard, Mr Weasley will be chaperoning the two of you.”

“Oh, okay. That’s fine then. Any tips on what we should do?”

“You asked her out and didn’t decide what to do?”

“Well, it was on the train back so neither of us knew if we had plans for the summer, and technically she asked me.”

“Oh, modern romance. Well, what do you both enjoy doing?”

“Um, she showed me those muggle moving pictures over Easter, those were pretty fun.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that it’s a popular pastime for muggles. They have entire theaters for it. You really want to do that?”

Scorpius nodded. “Maybe I can take her to dinner, or for ice cream afterwards?”

“Do both,” Draco shrugged. “We can get you some muggle money from Gringotts today, and maybe see if there’s a theatre near Diagon.”

“Thanks Papa! This is gonna be so much fun.”

“You’re welcome son. And maybe next time you can actually tell me when you plan to go on a date?” Draco’s tone was light, but his gaze was penetrating. Scorpius blushed.

“Sorry Papa. I was going to tell you this morning, I swear. It’s just… the howler beat me to it.”

Draco laughed. “That’s understandable. And I take it this is the first date?” He gave a satisfied hum when Scorpius nodded.

“Well, hurry up and finish your breakfast, and we can head out to Diagon.”

\---------------------------------

“Weasley. And Rose, how are you?” Draco stood back to let the pair in, closing the door behind them.

“Hi Mr. Malfoy. I’m good thanks, how are you?” Rose answered politely, while her father gave Draco a curt nod.

“I’m very well, thank you. Are you excited for tonight?”

“Yeah! I’m really excited to see this movie! And I think Scorpius is going to like it too!”

“Speaking of, where is your son?” Weasley asked curiously.

“He should be down in a moment, I believe he was looking for something.”

“Okay. While we’re waiting, Hermione said I should probably apologise for that Howler. I just wanted to reassure you it had nothing to do with your family- I would have sent it to any boy who dared to think he was good enough for my Rosie.”

“Dad,” Rose groaned. “I can’t be a spinster all my life.”

“Hi Rose! Hi Mr. Weasley!” Scorpius called, racing down the stairs.

“You look beautiful,” Scorpius said shyly, coming to a stop in front of Rose. He offered her a single rose that Draco was sure had been picked from the manor gardens. She accepted it with a blush, before Weasley rolled his eyes.

“Uggh, teenage love. Anyways, we’d better get going if we’re going to make that movie. I’ll have him home by 9 Malfoy.”

“Thanks Weasley. Enjoy yourselves kids.”

\-----------------------

_August 2021_

“PAPA!”

Draco looked up in surprise as his son came barreling into his study.

“Papa, I got my Hogwarts Letter!” Scorpius cried gleefully.

“You haven’t been this excited about it since first year. What cha-” Draco trailed off as Scorpius held up a familiar green badge.

“Scorpius, this is amazing! Congratulations!” He pulled his son into a tight hug.

“We must celebrate! Would you like Lacey to make you a special dinner? Or we could go out if you like?”

“We haven’t gone out in a while…” Scorpius said shyly.

“Then out we’ll go,” Draco declared.

“Thanks papa. I’m gonna go write to Rose about this, and see if she got one too.”

Draco chuckled. “If anyone was made a prefect, it was that girl. She’s an exact copy of her mother.”

“Dad, if she got prefect too… could we maybe invite her to dinner as well?”

Draco considered his son for a moment. He had met Rose a handful of times since she had started dating his son, but he hadn’t spent a particularly long amount of time with her. It was usually Weasley or Granger who chaperoned them.

“Of course you can invite her, and her parents and brother too. Even on the off chance she didn’t get a badge, I’m sure she’ll still be happy for you and want to celebrate.”

“Okay papa, I’ll write to her right now.” Scorpius had just made it to the door when Draco thought of something else.

“Scorpius, while you’re writing, please send letters to all your grandparents as well. They’re long overdue for some good news.”

“Okay. I can tell them I’m dating Rose too!”

Draco winced. He wasn’t sure how any of Scorpius’ four grandparents would react to their grandson dating a Weasley. Bracing himself for some angry letters, he agreed. He wasn’t going to have his son spend his life pretending he was someone he wasn’t. Astoria wouldn’t have wanted that. And now that he thought about it, neither did he.

As Scorpius raced off to write all his letters, Draco grabbed a blank sheet of parchment and started his own.

_Hermione and Ronald,_

_I have no doubt that if Scorpius was chosen as Prefect, your daughter was too. Please share my congratulations with Rose. Scorpius is currently writing his own letter, inviting the four of you to join us for dinner tonight, at a restaurant of the children's choosing. I sincerely hope you will be able to join us._

_I was also hoping to have a conversation with my son, either tonight or in the next few days, about safe sexual practices. Before you get your wands in a knot, I want to remind you both that you know very well what happens in that prefect bathroom, and my main concern is for my son (and your daughter) to be safe. If you are not opposed, I was wondering if you would like to join me, for us all to talk to the children together? Lacey (our elf) is very fond of Scorpius and will be making him a cake- we can certainly add Rose’s name, and convene at the Manor for dessert._

_I apologise if this letter is too presumptuous of me, and I hope it won’t have a negative impact on the children’s relationship. I meant what I said about Rose being a wonderful influence on Scorpius, and now I’m seeing that she’s a wonderful friend to him too._

_Hoping to see you tonight,_

_Draco Malfoy_

\---------------------------------

“Thank you for dinner Draco,” Ron said, holding the door for everyone as they left the restaurant.

“Oh, it was my pleasure. It’s not every day your young man becomes a prefect is it?” He exclaimed happily, ruffling Scorpius’ hair.

“Papa, stop messing up my hair! We get it, you’re proud of me, you don’t have to repeat it 500 times.”

“Well you know who else is proud of you? Lacey.”

“Who’s Lacey?” Rose asked curiously.

“She’s our beloved elf,” Draco explained. “And she’s made a cake for both of you. Would you three be able to join us at the Manor for dessert?”

“That sounds wonderful Draco!” Hermione said, a knowing smile playing across her lips. “Why don’t the two of you go ahead and we’ll follow?”

“Perfect.”

As Scorpius took his arm, he disapparated to the the front steps of the Manor, with the Granger-Weasleys arriving right behind them. Draco led the way into the parlour, where Lacey was already setting out tea. He couldn’t help eyeing the beautiful cake already positioned in the middle of the table. It was covered in vines made of dark green icing, and topped with what seemed to be real roses.

“Congratulations Master Scorpius!” Lacey squeaked, running forward to hug his legs. He bent to hug her back, and Draco noticed a curious expression on Hermione’s face.

“And congratulations to miss Rose too,” Lacey said as she returned to the tea tray.

“Please, have a seat,” Draco invited, sitting in his favourite armchair. Scorpius and Rose settled themselves on the sofa next to him, and Hermione and Ron took the one on their other side. As soon as they were seated, Lacey levitated tea and cake to each person in the room. She was just turning to leave when Scorpius piped up.

“Aren’t you going to join us Lacey?” he asked. “You love strawberry cake.”

Lacey shook her head, and Draco smiled into his tea cup. He had warned her beforehand about the conversation they planned to have with the children, and she had blushed furiously at the thought.

“Lacey is finishing the dishes first, perhaps later,” she squeaked, before rushing out of the room. Scorpius looked confused for a moment, but then shrugged.

“Honestly, the best part of becoming a prefect might be the cake Lacey makes,” Scorpius said happily, digging into his own slice.

“According to _Hogwarts, A History,_ we get a couple of private bathrooms too, and they’re a lot bigger and nicer than the regular ones,” Rose added.

“They were nice. The one on the fifth floor has an oversized tub that’s wonderful for a nice long soak.”

“I wonder why all the bathrooms aren’t so luxurious,” Rose commented. Draco snorted at that.

“Because the prefects would be so busy breaking up couples having intercourse that they wouldn’t have time to enjoy their own bathrooms.”

Both kids made a face at that.

“Are we really going to walk in on people… you know…” Rose trailed off, looking around helplessly.

“Having sex?” Scorpius finished for her.

“It depends,” Ron said. “I was lucky enough that I never walked in on anyone, but apparently Draco here got quite the eyeful one time.”

Draco shuddered. He would quite happily pay an exorbitant amount of money to remove  the image of Millicent Bulstrode and Ernie MacMillan, naked and doing… Draco wasn’t even sure what they had been doing, but he wanted to never remember it again. Reporting them to the professor on patrol had been the most awkward moment of his life.

“Yeah, that was not pleasant. If you two decide to go having sex all over the castle, please invest is some locking and privacy charms.”

Rose’s eyes went wide, and Scorpius’ face went red. “Papa!” he spluttered, glancing warily at Hermione and Ron.

"He's got a point," Hermione shrugged. "Preferrably something that can't be foiled by a simple Alohamora."

"Mum!" Rose cried, looking frantically at Scorpius. The two looked mortified that their parents were talking about them having sex.

"Since we're on the topic," Draco said lightly. He hesitated for a moment, a little unsure how to continue. "Well, when two people love each other, they start having certain urges-"

"Papa I swear to Merlin if you don't stop right now-" Scorpius started to threaten, but at that moment, Ron laughed.

"Draco, mate, that was terrible. Kids, listen up. Sex can be basically anything that feels like sex to you, though it usually involves some combination of hands, mouths, penis, vagina, boobs and ass. As long as you actually talk about what you're doing, and use a protection spell - I find _obice_ is pretty good, but _cancelli_ has less of a taste for oral stuff - you should be good to go. And use lube. Anywhere and everywhere, it makes everything better. Just trust me on that. Any questions?"

Hermione had her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughter and Draco was staring at Ron with his jaw hanging open. He had not been expecting that. He looked over to see the kids looking like they wanted to melt into the floor.

"Oh, a couple of other pieces of advice, don't be scared to experiment. If you're going to use toys get glass or silicone. That wooden rubbish is no fun, and it looks ugly too."

"Dad, stop!" Rose screeched, jumping up off the sofa. "You're so embarrassing!"

Ron simply shrugged. "I'd much rather you be embarrassed now than hurt later."

"Scorpius wouldn't hurt me," she insisted.

"No, I know that," Ron shrugged. "And I know you would never hurt him. On purpose, anyways. But if you don't know what you're doing, you're more likely to get into trouble. If avoiding that costs you a bit of embarrassment, go ahead and blush."

Rose looked like she wanted to argue, but no one seemed able to contradict Ron's logic. Draco was secretly very glad that he'd taken over. There was no way Draco would have been able to address all that without spluttering and blushing for at least an hour.

"So we'll ask again," Hermione said gently. "Any questions?"

They were silent for a moment, before Scorpius spoke up.

“You said lube goes anywhere and everywhere… I thought it was just for… umm, back there?”

 

He blushed furiously while asking, and Rose finally gave up and hid her face in her hands.

“It’s definitely most important in anal play,” Hermione explained. “But it can feel really good even when rubbing skin, or for vaginal sex too. It takes a bit of foreplay for the vagina to start creating enough natural lubricant for a penis to slide in smoothly, and some women still can’t produce enough natural lubricant at that point. So really, lube is for everywhere.”

“I can’t believe I’m asking this…” Rose started, looking quite unsure of herself. “But what is foreplay?”

“It’s the part that comes right before intercourse,” Draco said, determined to prove that he was as capable as the Granger-Weasleys in educating their children. “Generally people don’t just walk into a room, take of their clothes, and start penetrating their partner right away. Kissing, touching, licking, dirty-talk, all these things make you excited, and that excitement signals to your body that you’re probably about to have sex, and gets you ready. Your penis will start to harden up, and your vagina will start to feel wet.”

He glanced up at Ron and Hermione, who looked quite impressed with his explanation. Unfortunately, it seemed the kids had had enough.

“Well, thank you for dinner and the cake, Mr. Malfoy," Rose said primly. She put her plate down and stood up, giving her parents a pointed look.

“I think it’s time we _headed home_ ,” she said, before turning to Scorpius. “Where’s the floo?”

He led her out of the room, and the adults all counted to 10 before bursting out laughing.

“I guess we’d better get going,” Hermione chuckled, standing up. “Thank you for having us Draco.”

“Of course, you’re always welcome here. Thank you for your help tonight. That went a lot better than I expected it to.”

“Well it can’t exactly have gone wrong with the Felix, can it?” she laughed. Draco gave her a confused look.

“Felix?” He asked.

“Oh, crap, I’m so sorry mate!” Ron cried, his eyes going wide. “We each took a dose of _Felix Felici_ s before dinner, I meant to slip you some as well!”

“Oh, no wonder you had such an awkward start!” Hermione exclaimed. “Ron, you inconsiderate baffoon!”

“I forgot! Though to be fair, you did really well without it. Anyways, I’m sure we’ll all be terribly embarrassed tomorrow morning.”

“That we will, Ronald,” Draco sighed. “That we will.”

\--------------------------------

“Papa.”

Draco looked up from his book as Scorpius flopped down onto the foot of his bed.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Draco asked.

“I did, until that REALLY awkward conversation about sex! Did you plan that?” He glared suspiciously at his father, who shrugged nonchalantly.

“Hermione and Ronald know just as well as I do, if not better, what goes on in that prefects bathroom. Anyway, there’s nothing like getting _the talk_ together to strengthen your relationship.”

“I’m so glad Hugo couldn’t come tonight. The poor kid probably had a lot more fun baking cookies with Lily.”

“I thought he was ill,” Draco frowned. Scorpius shook his head.

“That’s what Mr Weasley and Mrs Granger told you, because they think it’s not their place to share what’s going on in the Potter house. Apparently things aren’t going so well, and Lily is staying with their grandparents for now. Rose told me that Hugo actually went to keep Lily company.”

“That must be very difficult for the young girl. Did Rose tell you what’s been going on?”

Scorpius sighed. “No, but she mentioned that Albus spent the whole day sulking when he found out he wasn’t a prefect. She keeps pushing me to write to him and get over what she calls ‘a silly little spat’.”

“She should be able to respect your wishes if you’re not ready to talk to him,” Draco said, concern creeping into his voice.

“She knows I’m not ready Papa, and she only mentions it on occasion. But I guess it’s hard for her to have her cousin and her boyfriend hate each other.”

“Do you really hate Albus?” Draco asked. Scorpius stared at the emeralds on the bed for a long moment.

“I don’t think so. Even though I have a lot of really nice new friends, I still miss him.” Scorpius looked up at Draco. “I don’t think he’s going to want to be friends anymore though. I got him and his brother into a lot of trouble last year, and now I beat him to being Prefect too.”

“You might be surprised,” Draco offered. “If he really is a good friend, he’ll be able to see past petty things like who is a prefect, and recognise how important your relationship is. His father managed to do that with Rose’s parents- who’s to say he won’t do it with you?”

“I really hope so papa. I think I need to wait for him to bring it up though.” Draco nodded.

“Do you think mum would have agreed?” Scorpius whispered, once again not looking at Draco.

“Yes Scorpius. I think she would have been very proud of how mature you’ve been. I know I am.” He reached out, and Scorpius happily accepted his hug.

“Thanks Papa.”  

\-------------------------------------

_October 2021_

“Oh, sorry.” Scorpius looked up as Albus paused, halfway into their shared dorm.

“For what?” Scorpius asked, confused.

“I didn’t know you were up here.” Albus mumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Scorpius turned back to his overnight bag. “It’s your dorm too, you’re allowed to be here. Contrary to popular belief, I won’t infect you with a curse.”

“I didn’t think you would, I just… nevermind.” Albus knelt in front of his bed and started rifling through his trunk while Scorpius cursed himself for acting so petty. The pair had formed an uneasy truce since they came back for their fifth year. They weren’t friends again, not by a long shot, but they didn’t come to blows every time they saw each other. They had spent most of the last month and a half giving each other space, and being civil when Rose or their housemates forced them to partake in the same social activities. And then Scorpius just had to go and drag up last year’s drama. He could picture his mother giving him one of her exasperated looks.

He sighed heavily at the thought of his mother. That was why he was feeling so on edge these past few days, and why he had snapped at Albus just now. This weekend was the anniversary of her death, and Scorpius would be going home to be with his father. In fact, he was leaving in a few minutes and needed to finish packing. He shoved the last of his things into his bag, and zipped it up. He was just slipping his jacket on when Albus spoke up.

“Why do you have your stuff packed?” he asked.

Scorpius sighed again. “I’m going home for the weekend.”

“Why?” Albus asked, a confused look on his face. Scorpius stared at him for a moment, unsure how to respond. Did he really not remember what had happened a year ago, why Scorpius had disappeared for half the term? Surely he must, the whole school knew by now. He had been receiving looks of pity and condolences from everyone over the past week. Everyone except his ex-best-friend.

“Don’t worry about it,” Scorpius said finally, swinging his bag over his shoulders. “It doesn’t concern you.”

He pushed past Albus and raced down the stairs, not stopping until he had reached McGonagall’s office. He took a moment to catch his breath before knocking.

The door swung open to reveal McGonagall chatting with his father’s head in the flames.

“Mr. Malfoy. Why are you out of breath?” McGonagall asked curiously.

“I, um, thought I would be late, so I ran here.” Scorpius lied, fully aware that he was, in fact, early. He could tell from McGonagall’s face that she didn’t buy it for a second, but as usual, his father saved the day.

“Well, if you’re ready, you’d better come through. Thank you for your advice Minerva, I will keep it in mind.”

With a quick goodbye to the headmistress, Scorpius stepped through into the manor, putting his bag down on a table and following Draco into the dining room. He couldn’t help asking, as he shrugged off his jacket and they sat down to dinner, exactly what advice the headmistress could have given his father.

“Well… she, um, recommended that I… well that I start seeing a mind healer.” Draco stared at his plate as Scorpius tried to think of the right thing to say.

“Do you think it could help you?” Scorpius asked. Draco nodded, still refusing to meet his son’s eye.

“That’s a good idea then. It can’t be easy spending your days alone in here.” Scorpius pointed out. He had often worried about how his father was faring on his own, but had always been too scared to ask.

“You’re right, it’s not,” Draco whispered, a single tear running down his face. “I spend most of my free time counting the days until you’ll come back, because this house is too big for just me. Lacey often joins me for dinner, or a game of chess, because if she didn’t I think I would go spare.”

Scorpius put his fork down, listening patiently as his father continued. “Everywhere I look, there are memories of your mother, her laughter, her smile. So often I turn around thinking I’ll share a joke with her, or tell her about what happened in my day, and she’s not there.”

“I know how you feel. Sometimes I’ll pick up a quill thinking I’ll write to her about my day, before realising she’ll never receive the letter. Of course I’m lucky enough that I can just send it to you anyway, but I know you don’t really have that option.”

They spent a few minutes in silence, before Scorpius spoke again.

“Papa, do you think you’d ever remarry? Or even just start seeing others romantically?”

Draco gave him a long, calculating look.

“No,” he said finally. “Your mother told me to. She said that I wouldn’t be insulting my relationship with her by building a relationship with someone else.”

“I think she was right,” Scorpius nodded.

“You always sided with your mother,” Draco smiled sadly. “But I can’t see myself dating anyone else. I loved her too much.”

“Maybe you should keep an open mind about moving on,” Scorpius shrugged. “You never know what you’ll find, and even if it’s not true love some companionship might do you good.

“When did you get so philosophical, young man?”

“I’m just worried about you papa. Your letters are getting shorter and shorter these days, and from the little you do tell me about your life, it doesn’t seem like you’re happy at all.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, kiddo. I’ll be okay.”

Scorpius didn’t quite believe his father’s words, but he let it go. A moment later, Draco excused himself, insisting he was tired and heading to bed. Scorpius sat at the table for a while, thinking about what his father had said. It sounded like a horribly lonely existence to Scorpius. Part of him couldn’t help feeling a little guilty that he got to live in a castle with hundreds of other people, while his dad was sitting around alone in here.

As he lay in bed that night, feeling miserable about that night’s conversation, he realised that he should be making the most of the time he _did_ have with his father. Grabbing his dressing gown and slippers, he made his way down the hall to his father’s room. He opened the door gently, to find his dad sitting up in bed, staring out the window.

“Scorpius? Are you alright?”

Scorpius shrugged as he walked up to the bed.

“I thought I should sleep here tonight. Make the most of my time with the cosy mattress, you know?”

His father smiled at that, lifting the covers and inviting his son to join him. Scorpius snuggled into the luxurious bed, sighing as the magic woven into the fibers immediately relaxed his body. He reached out, taking hold of his Papa’s hand.

“Much better. Goodnight Papa.”

He was already drifting off as he felt his father lean forward and place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Goodnight Scorpius.”

\----------------------------

  


Scorpius shivered as he stepped out into the garden. He had worn a heavy woollen cloak, but the October chill still seeped into his bones. He turned at the sound of footsteps behind him.

“Rose. What are you doing here?” he asked in surprise. Rose reached out and took his cold hand in hers. “I thought you could use a friend here today. My parents and Uncle Harry are here too. They’re already out in the cemetery.”

Scorpius nodded as Draco joined them.

“Rose. Thank you for coming,” he said softly, giving her a hug.

“How are you doing Mr. Malfoy?”

Draco sighed. “I’m okay, all things considered. Shall we start walking over?”

They walked in silence across the grounds, Scorpius holding Rose with one hand, and his father with the other. He was surprised to find Rose’s parents, and Al’s dad, standing side by side next to his mother’s grave, all three of them wearing ceremonial Auror robes.

“As minister she can wear whichever department’s uniform she choses,” Rose whispered in Scorpius’ ear. They continued to watch as the three war heroes took a knee in the wet grass, golden light shining from the tips of their outstretched wands. “It’s the Auror’s salute,” Rose explained to the two Malfoys. “It’s very rare for them to do it for anyone who wasn’t an Auror, and even more rare to see the Minister doing it. They’ll stay like that until the family is done visiting.” They stood there in silence for a few minutes, and Scorpius couldn’t help being touched at the gesture.

“I’m glad we were able to bury her here,” Scorius whispered eventually. “I’ve always thought our forest was beautiful, and I know she’d love that she’s still here, at home.”

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but a ragged breath drew their attention to his father’s tear streaked face.

“Papa, talk to me.” Scorpius rubbed gentle circles on his father’s back, waiting for him to calm down.

“It’s my fault!” Draco sobbed. Rose handed him a lacy handkerchief as he kept crying. “It’s all my fault.” He didn’t say anything else as Scorpius pulled him into a tight hug. Scorpius gave Rose a worried look over his father’s shoulder. Was this normal grief, or was his father actually responsible in some way for his mother’s death?

\------------------------------

“I don’t think he was actually responsible,” Scorpius said to Rose later as they sat by the fire in the library. Their parents were in the parlour next door, but Scorpius had wanted to show Rose the Manor’s collection. Lacey had brought them hot chocolate, and they had decided to just settle down where they were.

“It doesn’t seem right,” Rose agreed.

“It’s just, she was ill for years and years. Ever since I was a little boy, I remember her coughing and moving slowly. Dad was always there by her side, caring for her when she was too frail. It can’t possibly be his fault. I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault.”

“I’ve read that a lot of people who are grieving will blame themselves for a loved one dying. Maybe that’s it?”

“I think so. Rose, I’m worried about him. He said he’s going to start seeing a mind healer, but he hates being alone here. It’s driving him spare.”

“Do you think he should go somewhere else?”

Scorpius sighed. “I don’t think he would. This is his home. I was actually thinking that maybe I should stay here.”

“What? But what about school?” Rose cried.

“Last year when I was home for half the term, he taught me himself. I learned a lot, and didn’t feel like I was behind at all when I came back. Maybe if I stayed at home, he could homeschool me again?”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you kid.” They turned to find Mr. Potter leaning against the doorframe. “It’s going to be incredibly difficult to leave all your friends, and your girlfriend (he nodded at Rose) behind.”

“It might be hard, but I can’t just leave my father the way he is!” Scorpius argued.

“Maybe not, but hindering your own education and social development isn’t the way to fix things.”

“Then what is?” Scorpius asked angrily. He didn’t want to admit it, but Mr. Potter was kind of right.

He watched as Mr. Potter came over and joined them on the plush carpet.

“Scorpius. I’m going to give you a bit of advice. The one way I found that helps me cope the most with the death of my parents is to collect and cherish memories of them.”

Scorpius’ eyes widened as he remembered that Mr. Potter had never known either of his parents. It was the legend that every child grew up hearing, but it wasn’t until now that Scorpius realised exactly how hard it must have been on Albus’ dad.

“Every time someone shows me a picture of them, I make a copy and add it to my own album. Every time someone tells me a story about them, I write it down. I have a whole room in my attic dedicated to their old belongings that I’ve managed to collect over the years. And whenever I’m feeling particularly horrible about the fact that I never got to know them, I pull all these things out, and it makes me feel as if they’re there with me.”

“So you’re saying I should collect things that belonged to mum?”

“Yes, and no. I’m saying you should collect, cherish, and share the memories. You’re lucky you got to know her for 14 years. Look back on those 14 years, and think about everything she taught you in that time. And when you’re ready, I’d suggest you share with your dad, and see what he has to share with you. It’ll be a good reminder for both of you that she’ll never really leave you, but also a good reminder that the two of you will always be there for each other. From what I’ve heard today, that’s all your dad needs. A reminder that he’s not alone.”

Scorpius stared into the fire, thinking over Mr. Potter’s words. “What you’re saying makes sense,” Scorpius said finally. “But it still doesn’t feel right knowing that he’s going to be cooped up in here, alone, until Christmas. Do you think McGonagall would let me come visit him every weekend?” he wondered out loud.

“Scorpius. Listen to me. Weekends are for playing quidditch, something I hear you’re very talented at. They are for studying for OWLs, which will sneak up on you like Peeves on April fool’s. They are for long, romantic snogs by the lake-”

“Uncle Harry!” Rose cried.

“- and snowball fights in Hogsmeade,” Mr. Potter continued, ignoring Rose’s embarrassment. “Life is too short for you to waste them running home to check on your father all the time.”

“Life is also too short to ignore the fact that my father needs help,” Scorpius snarked back. He hated that he was in such a snappish mood this weekend, but he couldn’t help it.

“Merlin, you’re a stubborn one! Fine, I’ll make you a deal. If you stay at school right until the holidays, and I hear that you’re working hard and living your life, I promise I’ll meet up with your dad at least once a week, so that he’s not rattling around alone in this place.”

“Really? Scorpius asked, thoroughly surprised. “You’d do that for him?”

“That remains to be seen,” Mr. Potter said. “But I would do it for you. You’re an incredible young man, and I’m glad you’re there for Rose, and for Albus.”

Scorpius and Rose exchanged a look.

“Um, Mr. Potter? In all fairness, I think I should tell you that Albus and I aren’t really friends anymore.”

“It’s Al’s fault, Uncle Harry,” Rose added. “He tried to back James up when he beat up Scorpius last year.”

Mr. Potter sighed. It looked like he was deflating right there on the spot. “I didn’t even know. Albus barely tells me anything these days.” He looked up at Scorpius. “I’m sorry my sons have been acting like such idiots. It’s my fault, I should have set a better example for them.”

He hesitated. “How about I change the conditions of our deal?”

“To what?”

“I want you to stay at school, and I’m going to ask you to give Al a second chance. It doesn’t have to be right away, but I think it could benefit you both to become friends again.”

He held out his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, Scorpius reached out and shook it. If he was being honest with himself, he like the idea of becoming friends with Al again too.

\-----------------------------

_Scorpius!_

_Why is Mr. Potter asking me to join him for coffee? What did you do?_

_I expect your owl by dinner._

_-Papa_

\--------------------------------

Scorpius walked in to the dorm find Albus sitting on his bed, reading. Gathering his courage, he walked over to his own bed, throwing out what he hoped was a casual “hey” as he went.

“Did you just say ‘hey’ to me?” Albus asked, confused.

Scorpius shrugged as he opened his bag and started rummaging for his half-eaten chocolate frog.

“Oh. Okay. Well, hey.” Albus responded awkwardly, before hiding behind his book. Scorpius sighed in relief, finally locating his frog and popping it into his mouth.

\-----------------------------

_Scorpius! Stop ignoring my question!_

_I can’t believe you managed to write me three entire feet of parchment with not a single sentence about whatever mischief you’re up to._

_If I don’t hear from you soon, I’m going to reconsider sending those stories of your mother you asked for._

_-Papa_

_\---------------------------_

“Scorpius, do you remember how many billywig propellers need to go into a luminescence solution?” Isobelle asked.

“Five per gallon of solution that you’re making,” Scorpius muttered, not looking up from his star chart. Scorpius’ worst subject had always been astronomy, and now that OWLs were approaching, he was starting to worry more and more. Albus had always been his tutor in the subject (and in return he had always helped Al with potions), but clearly that wasn’t an option for him right now.

“Hey Al,” came Rose’s cheery voice. Scorpius’ head snapped up to find his former best friend standing at the end of the table. “Come join us, we’re studying for OWLs.”

“Ummm…”

Al shifted nervously and looked at Scorpius. His eyes then slid to the left, and by following his gaze Scorpius realised what the issue was. There was only one seat left, and it was being occupied by his bag. Scorpius shrugged, swinging the bag over the back of his own chair before returning to his chart. He tried not to think about the days when Albus used to feel comfortable moving it himself. A moment later he sensed Albus sitting down next to him.

“Thanks,” Albus murmured, pulling out his books. The group worked on in silence for another 10 minutes, before Scorpius dropped his head to the table, groaning in frustration.

“For what conceivable reason would I ever need to know how to calculate Jupiter’s 3rd moon’s position, 523 days ago?” Scorpius whined.

“To pass your OWLs,” Rose pointed out.

“There’s a cool acronym I can show you to remember their relative positions,” Albus said. He faltered at Scorpius’ blank stare. “I mean, if you want…”

“Of course I want,” Scorpius sighed. “You know how much I hate Astronomy. What’s the acronym?”

\-----------------------------------

_Scorpius,_

_I know you know my last letter was an empty threat. I know you’re probably smirking at my desperation. I will have you know that as your father… I am not above begging._

_PLEASE. Why have you set Potter on me? We’re meeting for coffee tomorrow because I couldn’t think of a polite way to get out of it._

_I know this is some scheme of yours. I will find out what you’re up to, and when I do, you’ll be sorry!_

_-Papa_

\----------------------------------

“What are you smiling at?” Albus asked. Scorpius looked up from his father’s latest note still smiling.

“Um, nothing important. Just a funny note from Papa.”

“Oh, okay.”

Scorpius had just put the note down on his night stand when Albus spoke again.

“How is he? Your dad?”

Scorpius considered his dorm mate. He suddenly felt like he was back in second year, wanting to tell Albus about everything going on in his life. Albus had always been a good listener. Almost always.

“He’s fine. You know, life as usual.”

“Okay. Good.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, um, goodnight.”

Scorpius sighed. He didn’t like this really awkward truce they still had, but he knew it was better than hating each other.

“Goodnight.”

\---------------------------------

“Draco! Over here!” Draco spotted Potter waving at him from a table near the window.

“Potter.” Draco gave him a curt nod as he sat down. He looked up to find Potter frowning.

“Harry. My name is Harry.”

“You’re not serious. You want me to call you Harry?”

“I don’t see why you shouldn’t. We’re adults now, can’t we act like it?”

“Adults usually only call each other by their given names if they’re familiar with each other.”

“Are we not familiar with each other? We were in school together, and now our children go to school together too. Plus, your son is dating my niece.”

“Is that what this is about? Potter, if you’ve brought me all the way out to Diagon Alley to threaten my son into behaving with your niece, I can assure you that I have raised him very well and he will _never_ treat her badly. Anyway, Weasley already beat you to it.”

Potter rolled his eyes. “I didn’t ask you here to threaten your son. He’s a good kid, and if Hermione and Ron trust him then so do I.”

Just then a young server came by to take their orders. When he left, Potter started talking again.

“Honestly, I wish my boys were half as good as Scorpius. I really am sorry for all the grief they’ve given your family. I spent the whole summer teaching Al from that book. Made him read a section every day, and then explain it back to me.”

“Only Albus?” Draco asked. “Not James?”

Potter sighed. “I tried, at first. But James has spent 17 years learning from my example, which wasn’t a great one. He kept throwing everything back in my face. I tried to teach them that it’s important not be scared to call body-parts by their right names, and he argued that as a grown man I was still scared to say, you know-”

“Say it,” Draco encouraged.

“Uh, penis,” he mumbled, blushing furiously. “I guess I still am scared to use that word. Anyway, that was just one example of all the shit I’ve taught my kids over the years. One day we got into a really bad fight, and he called me a hypocrite. He said… well he claimed that I felt I was allowed to do what I wanted because I’m ‘the Chosen One’, and that I wasn’t holding myself to the same standards I expected of others. I think the mention of my role in the war is what made me snap. I, uh, well I told him to get out, and he did.”

Draco was stunned. “You threw your own son out of the house?”

Potter ran his hand through his hair and looked nervously up at Draco. “He’s an adult, he can take care of himself. And anyway, we’ve made up since then. I think it’s actually been really good for him. He’s living with Teddy now, and they’re not open with the rest of the family about it, but I’m really sure they’re dating. I know I shouldn’t have lost my temper, but I’ve always hated being the hero. I did what I did for the war because I thought it was necessary, but I never wanted the fame, or the privilege that came with it. I guess I haven’t been open enough with my kids about that though, because they all seem to have the wrong idea. Apparently James throws the fact that his dad is _the saviour_ around all the time to gain favour with people. Ginny told me that Al feels pressured to live up to everything I did at his age. And Lils is 12, but she already doesn’t want to be seen with me in public because she thinks it’s embarrassing that her dad is a celebrity.”

Potter scoffed. “A celebrity. That’s all I am to my own kids.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Draco tried to reassure him. “It might not be obvious right now, but I’m sure they have wonderful, personal memories, and I’m sure you’ve taught them many important things. You raise them and look out for them, and whether you get the recognition for it or not, you’re still their dad.”

“I guess you’re right. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to keep talking about me. How are you doing?”

“I’m quite well, thank you for asking.”

“Really? I just told you so much about my life and all you can say is you’re well?”

“I never asked to know all about your problems, Potter.”

“Harry.”

“Merlin, fine! What would you like to know, _Harry_?” The name felt foreign on Draco’s tongue, but Potter- no, Harry- was smiling so broadly that Draco felt it must be worth it.

“Well what do you get up to all day? Do you work? Do you have hobbies?”

“You sound like we’re on a date. I’m not formally employed, but I do spend a fair amount of time managing the family investments.”

“That’s it? What do you do for fun?”

Draco shrugged. “I usually spend the evening reading, or wandering the grounds. Sometimes I’ll come out to Diagon Alley and browse through a few shops.”

“Draco.”

“Yes, _Harry_?”

“We’re 41. You live the life of a 90 year old man.”

“I live a nice life. It may not be full of hunting criminals and angsty teenagers, but I happen to enjoy my peace.”

“There’s a difference between a peaceful existence and a boring one,” Harry replied. “Don’t you ever go out, or spend time with other people?”

Draco hesitated. He hadn’t thought about it much before, but he had really only ever had Scorpius and Astoria for company through most of his adult life. His parents and his friends all lived abroad, and now that Scorpius was at school, he was quite alone. He didn’t want to admit that to Potter though.

“I just lost my wife, Potter. Excuse me for not going out and partying every night.”

“With all due respect, Draco, she passed away over a year ago now. I understand that it’s hard to lose a loved one, but from what I’ve heard about Astoria, she would hate to see you isolating yourself from the world.”

“I’m not isolating myself,” Draco insisted.

“Prove it,” Harry challenged. “Meet me for lunch again next week.”

“Deal.”

\---------------------------------

_November 2021_

“Hey Albus! Are you headed to Hogsmeade too?”

Albus nodded. “You should come with us!” Rose exclaimed. “We’re all headed to the Three Broomsticks for lunch.” She gestured around at the crowd of almost 10 people they had gathered up for the Hogsmeade trip.

“I… uh, I don’t know if I should…” Albus glanced at Scorpius, who had finally had enough.

“Al, stop being a drama queen. Did you know I spoke to your dad a few weeks ago?”

“You did?” Albus’ eyes went wide.

“Yeah, I did. And he reminded me that life it too short to waste, especially on year-old arguments. So stop dithering, and come have lunch with us.” Rolling his eyes, Scorpius took hold of Rose’s hand and together they marched off down the road. A glance over his shoulder told him that Al had joined the group, bringing up the rear with Eloise.

As they were all settling at the table, Scorpius caught Al’s eye, and nodded to the seat next to him. Albus smiled, joining him immediately. Lunch was a loud affair, and Scorpius couldn’t remember the last time he had had so much fun.

“Oh, I’m stuffed!” Anne cried out. “I need to walk all this food off. Who’s coming to Lisette’s with me?”

“Oh, yes, I need a new bra.”

“My last pair of pantyhose ripped last week, I can’t believe I have to spend money on _another_ one.”

“I heard they’re having a sale on socks. I could use a few spares, it’s getting chilly out.”

Scorpius wanted to laugh at the fear spelled across Albus’ face. Having spent the last year being friends with these girls, Scorpius was no stranger to Lisette’s Lovely Lingerie, and was quite comfortable discussing the quality garments they sold. Clearly Albus wasn’t.

“Why don’t you ladies go ahead?” Scorpius called. “I’m in the mood for another butterbeer. You sticking around Al?”

Albus nodded gratefully, as Rose groaned. “You said you were going to help me pick out a new dressing gown!”

“Surprise me,” Scorpius said suggestively. Rose gave him an exaggerated wink and the other girls started laughing. Scorpius couldn’t help joining in when he saw Albus’ shocked expression.

“Mate, chill. We were just joking around,” Scorpius said as the girls left. Albus composed his face, but still looked a bit uncomfortable.

“You’re really different now. You’re a lot more… confident.”

Scorpius chuckled. “I guess I am. I think I owe Rose for that. She’s taught me a lot this past year.”

“Have you already been dating for a year?” Albus asked in surprise.

Scorpius shook his head. “We didn’t start dating until the beginning of summer. I can tell you it’s really interesting going on a first date with someone when you have Mr. Weasley chaperoning you.”

Albus laughed at that. “Oh boy, I can’t imagine having uncle Ron along on a date. He’s usually really funny but he can also be really protective of his kids.”

“Yeah, it took a Howler for me to learn that the hard way,” Scorpius chuckled. “But they’re really great people. Papa’s become good friends with Rose’s parents. They even gave us _the talk_ together.”

“No! Oh that must have been so awkward!”

“It kinda was, but it’s good because it got us talking about what we are and aren’t comfortable doing.”

“So you’ve-” Albus looked around furtively before whispering, “-had sex?”

“Umm, probably not in the way you imagine sex,” Scorpius blushed. He had become so comfortable talking about these things with Rose, that he had never stopped to imagine what it must be like with other people.

“Isn’t there only one way to have sex?” Albus asked, confused.

“Not really. For some people sex can be as simple as kissing, or a handjob. Others don’t consider it to be sex until it’s penetrative. It’s really up to each person.”

“Oh. So um, what have you done then?”

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you really want all the salacious details of what I get up to with your cousin in the prefect’s bathroom?”

Albus shuddered. “Maybe not.”

They both broke out into laughter at that. It took them a few minutes to calm down. Finally, Albus changed the subject.

“Scorpius? When were you talking to my dad?”

“Um, when I went home a few weeks ago. He had come with Rose, and Mr Weasley and Minister Granger, for the… um… the memorial.” Feeling like he couldn’t stand Albus’ stunned silence, he kept talking. “He told me, um, he gave me some advice. On how to deal with losing a parent. Since he lost both, you know? It’s weird, we all know the story of the great Harry Potter, but how many people actually understand how hard it must have been for him? Have you ever talked to him about it?” he asked Al, curious as to what discussions they may have had on the topic.

“Not a lot…” Al said sadly. “Dad hates talking about the war, and somehow his parents always felt like a topic that was lumped into that. I was always scared to ask.”

“He said that it helps him to collect memories and stories of them. He suggested I do that with my father- maybe you can do it with him?”

“I don’t know… he doesn’t talk to me a lot.”

“It’s funny you say that. He said the same thing about you.”

The two sat in silence, thinking about what they had just been discussing. Finally, Albus spoke up again.

“Scorp?”

“Hmm?”

“Um, I just wanted to say… uh, I know it’s probably way too late at this point but, well I’m sorry about your mum.” Scorpius looked up in surprise. He hadn’t realised until then how much he had been longing to hear his best friend say those words. Now that Albus had acknowledged her death, it suddenly seemed so much more real. She was gone. Like Albus had almost been. He had almost lost his best friend for good, all because he had been too stubborn to just talk to him. He stared at his butterbeer bottle, twirling it once between his fingers before making up his mind.

“She died in my arms,” he said softly. “One moment she was hugging me, and the next… I don’t know how long I sat there, just thinking about all the things I wished I had told her. I was supposed to tell her about how we hid a toad in Michael’s bed, and how I was the first person in the class to transfigure a porcupine into a pincushion. I was supposed to tell her about how proud I felt to have been picked for the quidditch team, and how much I loved the new gear she bought me as a congratulations present.”

“I remember thinking it was really cool how close you were to your mum,” Albus offered. “You used to tell her everything.”

“Not everything,” Scorpius sighed. Knowing he’d chicken out if he thought about it too much, he took a deep breath and said, “I didn’t tell her that I’m bisexual.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“That I’m bisexual?” Scorpius grinned when Al threw a cold chip at him.

“No, you prat. That you didn’t get to tell your mum. I think it’s cool that you’re bisexual. I never even knew it was a thing until that book your dad sent mine explained it.”

“My papa sent your dad a book?” Scorpius asked.

“Yeah, _Sex Ed for Witches and Wizards of all ages_. Dad made me read a lot of it over the summer. It very much proved that I was being a total dick last year.”

“Yeah, you were,” Scorpius agreed.

“I know it’s not really an excuse, but I think it was really hard for me to admit that my behaviour was wrong when James kept telling me it was right. Now that he’s gone, I’m realising that I didn’t actually agree with a lot of the things he used to say and do.”

Scorpius nodded. “What’s he up to these days anyways?”

“Um, he just signed with the Appleby Arrows actually. I know he was having a bit of a rough time when dad kicked him out, but he seems-”

“Woah, wait. Your dad kicked him out?”

It was Al’s turn to nod. “Yeah, when your pops sent that book, Dad kept trying to teach us things from it. But the thing is, I think Dad was learning too, so James kept calling Dad a hypocrite, saying that he didn’t know what he was talking about, and that the book was bogus. Dad finally snapped, and kicked James out.”

“Woah. So he’s on his own now?”

“Nah, Teddy took him in. But he’s changed a lot since he started living with Teddy. I think Teddy finally managed to get through to him and get him to read that book. He made up with dad near the end of the summer, and I’m pretty sure he’s even dating Teddy now, though I don’t think mum and dad know.”

“Wow, that’s a huge change. Well, good for him I guess.”

“Yeah. I think this summer was really hard on Lily though. Say, do you want to come to Honeydukes with me? I was thinking of getting her a present, something to cheer her up.”

Scorpius smiled at Al’s thoughtfulness. It was part of why they had initially become friends- if anyone gave good presents, it was Al.

“That’s a great idea Al. Let’s go.”

\--------------------------------

“I got a letter from Al last night,” Harry said as the hostess refilled his water. Draco didn’t know when he had gone from being Potter to Harry, nor did he know when these weekly meetings had become normal. He wasn’t complaining though- if it wasn’t for Harry, and his mind healer, he’d probably spend his whole life cooped up in the manor, with no one but Lacey for company.

“Doesn’t he write every week?” Draco asked.

“Well, yes, but that’s usually addressed to both Ginny and I. This one was just for me.”

“How exciting,” Draco drawled. “What did he say?”

“He… he asked about my parents. Apparently Scorpius said something that made him realise that he doesn’t really know about them, and he asked if I knew any fun stories about them.”

“Something Scorpius said? So they’re talking again?” This was news to Draco.

“I think so. He mentioned him in his last letter too, but not in as much detail as he used to when they were younger.”

Draco smiled. “I remember Scorpius’ first letter home about Albus. I thought Astoria was pulling some sort of prank on me.”

Harry laughed. “I think I thought it was a prank from Al. That he was put in Slytherin AND became friends with a Malfoy? I actually wrote to McGonagall asking what the truth was.”

“Of course you would do something dramatic like that. Is Slytherin really such a bad house?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t think so. I was almost sorted into Slytherin.”

“You- WHAT? Now you’re pulling my leg.”

“I promise I’m not. The hat was going to put me in Slytherin when I asked it not to.”

“Why not?”

Harry smirked. “Because you were already there.”

Draco groaned. “I bet you also tried to convince your son not to be friends with mine.”

Harry’s face suddenly went serious. “That’s not true. If there’s one thing I did right with Albus, it was not interfering in his friendship with Scorpius.”

“I’m glad they’re friends too. I was always scared that people would give him a hard time because of his surname.”

“Did they?”

“I’m sure someone must have, but he never said anything to me. I know he confided a lot in Astoria when he was younger, but she always told me to stop being such a pessimist when I asked. Looking back they were both much braver that I ever gave them credit for.”

Draco was sure Harry must be getting tired of his reminiscing. He did it every week, and was amazed at the patience with which Harry still listened. His mind healer had explained that talking about her was helping him heal and move on, and he had to admit, he was feeling a lot better since he had started spending time with Harry.

“Sounds like your family is full of Gryffindors,” Harry teased.

“Dear Merlin. Even Gryffindor himself wouldn’t have been brave enough to carry the Malfoy name. I honestly thought of changing Scorpius’ name to Greengrass before he started Hogwarts.”

“Was it really that bad?” Harry asked.

Draco hesitated. “It was for my parents and I. Especially right after the trials, and again when father was released from Azkaban. They moved to France when Scorpius was very young, in the hopes of starting over.”

“Why didn’t you go with them?”

“The idea was unthinkable for Astoria. She said it was because she wanted our son raised in our family home, but I’m quite sure it was because she was terrible at French.”

“Oh! Speaking of French, I just remembered I have to go see my lawyer.”

“You have a French lawyer?”

Harry laughed. “No. I have an English lawyer, because reading legal contracts for me is like reading French.”

“Oh, I see. Is it a contract for work that you’re dealing with?”

Harry paused with one arm in his coat. He slowly finished putting his coat on, not looking at Draco.

“Ginny and I are getting divorced,” he said softly, focusing more than any grown man should need to on his buttons. “We don’t want to tell the children until after the holidays though, so please don’t mention this to Scorpius?”

“Of course not. Won’t it be difficult to spend the holidays with her though?”

Harry shook his head. “We’re still good friends, and we get along well.”

“Then why are you getting divorced?” Harry stared at Draco for a moment, before checking his watch.

“I really am late, but I promise I’ll tell you next week.”

\------------------------------------

_The next week_

“I’m gay,” Harry blurted as he shrugged off his coat.

“That doesn’t excuse your tardiness,” Draco sniffed. “We had agreed to meet at precisely noon, and yet here you are at exactly 12:08.”

“I- oh. Sorry.”

“No wonder your wife wants a divorce. I would leave you too if you were constantly late for meals.”

“That’s not why- Ginny and I… did you not just hear what I said?”

“Yes Potter, I was teasing you. I assumed that that was how you Gryffindors show sentiment and familiarity.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I don’t know why I’m so on edge today.”

“It’s understandable. Coming out can be difficult, and everyone does it on their own time. But congratulations to you.” Draco raised his glass, tipping it toward Harry, who finally smiled.

“Thanks Draco.”

“So it’s actually happening then? Your divorce?”

Harry nodded. “It’s mostly just the paperwork, and we’re still living together while I get my new house set up. This past summer has been so rocky for the children that we were hoping to have a normal Christmas together, and then tell them after new years.”

“That’s still a month and a half away. Are you going to be able to keep it a secret for so long?”

“It’s not like either of us are itching to be on our own or anything. A month will fly by as normal, and we haven’t told many people so hopefully it should stay out of the press too.”

“Ah, so it’s just your family and hers that know.”

“Well, they’re kind of one and the same.”

“I meant your muggle relatives. Don’t they know you’re getting divorced?”

Harry fidgeted with the corner of his napkin for a moment before responding.

“No. If I’m not mistaken, they don’t even know I got married, or have children. I haven’t spoken to them since the war broke out.”

“Really?”

“They, uh, we didn’t quite get along. They only took me in because Dumbledore kind of threatened them. They were only too happy for me to leave when I came of age, and trust me I wasn’t wasting any time in getting out of there.”

Draco was stunned. After everything else he had been through, Potter also didn’t have his own family?

“That must have been horrible, feeling unwanted by your own relatives.”

“It wasn’t great growing up. I used to spend all my time wishing someone would come and take me away to a real home. I almost didn’t believe Hagrid when he told me that I was a wizard, and that I would be going to Hogwarts. It just seemed to be too good to be true.”

For some reason this conversation was making Draco quite emotional. “I can’t imagine how lonely that would have been.”

“The Weasleys kind of became my adoptive family,” Harry shrugged. “I used to stay with them for most of the breaks, though I did have to go back to my Aunt and Uncle’s place once a year.”

“And now you won’t even have them?” Draco asked. He could have kicked himself for his lack of tact, but at that moment, the thought of another person suffering from the same loneliness that had become his own life was horrifying. Even if it was Potter.

“That’s not true. Ginny and I are still great friends, we just want the chance to fall in love with other people. We already told her parents, and Ron and Hermione, and they seem to have accepted it. The others will come around eventually when we tell them, I’m sure.”

“Fall in love with other people? Do you really think it’s going to be that easy to move on?”

“Honestly, I think we already have. Even having told only 5 people, I feel so much lighter about not being tied to a relationship that can’t give me anything more.”

They fell into silence for a moment, before Harry asked the question that Draco had been hoping they could avoid.

“Do you think you’ll ever date, or even marry anyone else?”

“No,” Draco said, probably a little to quickly. “No, I can’t.”

“Why not?” Harry asked curiously.

“I married Astoria. We spent 14 years raising our son together! I can’t just… forget her!” Draco could hear himself getting a bit hysterical, and took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

“No one said anything about forgetting her, Draco,” Harry said gently. “I’m sure your relationship with her was incredibly special. But does that really mean that you can’t build a new relationship with someone else?”

“You sound like Scorpius,” Draco said. “He said the same thing. But I won’t do it. I can’t believe I’m even talking about it!” He jumped out of his seat, reaching for his coat. He tossed a few galleons onto the table, and turned to leave.

“Draco,” Harry called after him. Draco turned back, unable to meet Harry’s gaze. “You’re allowed to move on, you know.”

Draco finally looked into those deep green eyes. Harry’s eyes were full of concern, and Draco couldn’t deal with that at the moment.

“I don’t think I am,” he whispered sadly, before stepping through the door and apparating.

\-------------------------

_“Draco,” Astoria reached a frail hand toward her husband._

_“Yes, love?” Draco replied, immediately taking her hand in his._

_“Draco, will you marry again when I’m gone?”_

_“Of course not,” Draco responded. He wasn’t expecting Astoria’s frown at his response._

_“Why not?” she asked. He hated that her voice sounded upset._

_“Sweetheart, I would never disrespect our relationship like that. Even if you’re not...” Draco had to take a moment to collect himself before continuing. “Even if you’re not here physically, you’ll always be here with me.” He guided her hand to his chest, clasping it over his heart. She gave him one of those bright smiles. Even on her deathbed, she was able to light up the entire room._

_“I don’t think it would be disrespecting our relationship. You have such a big heart. There’s plenty to share.”_

_“You want me to find someone else?” he asked incredulously._

_“I don’t want you to force it. But please, promise me that you’ll be open to love. Promise me that one day, when it barrels into you head on, that you’ll embrace it. Promise me, Draco.” Draco could see tears glistening in her eyes. He couldn’t bear the thought of making her cry, and so he nodded._

_“Is Scorpius coming soon?” she asked, apparently satisfied._

_Draco nodded again. “I was about to go get him from school.”_

_Astoria sighed, leaning back against the pillows and closing her eyes. Hoping it wasn’t for the last time, Draco let go of her hand and rushed into the floo._

_\--------------------------_

January 2022

“Al, stop it!”

“You know I’m right Lils! He’s being selfish!”

“No he’s not! He’s our dad, he loves us!”

“He doesn’t love anyone but himself. He’s been lying to us for years- what else is he hiding?”

“What’s going on?” Scorpius interjected as he and Rose tried to calm the fighting siblings down. The pair had been doing their rounds of the train as prefects and had noticed shouting from the end of the train. They had been surprised to find Lily and Albus screaming at each other.

“Albus is being a big baby about mum and dad getting divorced!” Lily screamed. “Just accept it already! Everyone else has!”

“How can you accept our own father humiliating mum, humiliating us like that? It’s all over the papers, Harry Potter is a fucking shirt lifter!”

“Albus,” Scorpius said in a warning tone. Deep down he knew Albus probably didn’t really mean the slur, but it still stung.

“He doesn’t care about us!” Albus continued, ignoring Scorpius. “You hear me? He doesn’t care about you Lily!”

“Albus!” Scorpius cried in outrage, as Lily ran from the compartment sobbing. Rose threw Albus a dirty look before following her little cousin.

“Albus, what on earth was that?” Scorpius scolded. “How could you say that to your little sister?”

“It’s true,” Albus grumbled, but there was regret written all over his face. Scorpius sat down, waiting for Albus to do the same. When they were finally seated across from each other, Scorpius spoke.

“So I see you’re not taking the news of the divorce very well?” he prompted. He knew all about what had happened. The papers had been reporting non-stop for the last two days on the fact that Harry Potter was getting a divorce, and had come out as gay. He couldn’t imagine how stressful that must have been for the Potters, though Draco had encouraged Scorpius to lend an ear when Albus needed it. Clearly that time was now.

“How could he?!” Albus burst out. “He just- aarggh! I can’t believe him!”

“What exactly did your dad do that’s making you so upset?”

“They’re getting divorced! No, scratch that, they’re already divorced!”

“You think they should stay together?”

“Yes! Or, well no, but they shouldn’t… stop confusing me!”

“Sorry. Go ahead, what’s making you so angry?”

“He betrayed us! He betrayed mum!”

“Really? As in, he had an affair?” Scorpius asked curiously. That didn’t sound like Mr. Potter.

“Well, no, but… it’s his fault.”

“That they’re getting divorced?”

“Yeah! If he hadn’t been gay…”

“It’s not really a choice Al,” Scorpius pointed out.

“It’s all over the papers! They’re writing such horrible things about us!”

“Really? I only saw the ones writing horrible things about him.”

“I- it’s the same thing!”

“Of course. Anyone who attacks your family attacks you. I get that. So you’re angry at the media for portraying your family badly, and for trashing your dad.”

Scorpius could almost see Albus deflating as he considered his statement.

“I, yeah, I guess,” Albus frowned.

“My papa said it can be really horrible when the papers are printing all kinds of lies about your family. I’m sorry you have to go through that.”

“Thanks,” Al grumbled, still frowning.

“What I don’t get though, is why you and Lily were fighting, or why you said such mean things to her?”

“I don’t get how she’s so calm about it! She and James are acting like everything’s just peachy, like our family isn’t falling apart. Like our dad didn’t betray us.”

“How did he betray you Al? All I know is that he came out, and since your mum is a woman, and therefore not his type, they’re moving on to see if they can find love with others.”

“It- it’s not that simple!” Scorpius could tell Al was getting frustrated, but he wasn’t about to let his best friend get away with his behaviour this time. As difficult as it must be to accept such big changes in one’s family, there was no was he would let him say such things to Lily without facing the truth of his feelings.

“Dad’s moving out! He already bought a new house and picked out rooms and furniture for us and everything.”

“So you’ll be living with him then?”

“They said we’ll see mum whenever she’s back in town, but since she travels so much for work we’ll mostly stay with dad over the holidays.”

“Didn’t you say she already does that? Your dad usually stays home with you guys while she travels?”

“Well yeah,” Albus shrugged. Mrs. Potter - or probably Ms. Weasley now, Scorpius amended in his head - was a sports reporter, and often travelled to matches across the country, and sometimes even across the continent.

“So what’s changing really? Are you scared of moving to a new house?”

“I- no. It actually sounds pretty nice, dad said it even has a pool in the yard.”

“I’m sorry Al, but I don’t get what justified you losing your temper on Lily like that.”

Al sighed as he realised his friend wasn’t going to let him off the hook this time.

“I guess I’m just mad that I didn’t see this coming, and that the whole wizarding community feels like our private life is open to their discussion and opinions.”

“Yeah, that’s not fair at all. I can’t imagine what it might be like for your dad, being the one they actually talk about.”

“That’s why Lily brought it up, actually. She said Dad seemed really stressed and that we should do something nice for him.”

“And instead of encouraging her pure and loving heart, you decided to shove your own insecurities on her by telling her that her own father doesn’t love her.”

Albus opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. Scorpius tried not to look smug as he sat back and waited for his friend to regain his voice.

“Merlin, I’ve really made a mess of this, haven’t I?”Albus whispered finally. “Did I really say that to her?”

Scorpius nodded. “You also threw about some pretty homophobic comments, but for now let’s focus on the fact that somewhere on this train, your 12 year old sister is crying her eyes out because her older brother managed to convince her that her family is falling apart, even though everything is quite fine.” The sass in his voice hadn’t been intentional, but Scorpius felt it added a nice touch.

“Oh, shit, Scor, you know I didn’t mean those…” Al started, but he fell silent when Scorpius held up a hand.

“I don’t know Al. Maybe we can discuss that later. But right now I have Prefect duties to attend to, and you have a sister to apologise to.” Without sparing Albus a backward glance, Scorpius stalked off down the train. He hated losing his temper on Al, but it seemed like Al was trying to blame his fear of change on the fact that Mr. Potter was gay, and that was just not on.

\-------------------------------

January 13, 2022

“Happy Birthday Scorp,” Albus said, tossing a package at Scorpius.

“Thanks,” Scorpius said, noting with surprise that it was now well past midnight, and officially his birthday. They were sitting in the Slytherin common room, having been up late studying. Aside from a couple of 7th years in the corner, they were the only ones still awake.

Scorpius turned the package over in his hands, wondering what could be inside it. His relationship with Al had once again become a little strained since their conversation on the train.

“There’s 3 things in there, open them from smallest to largest,” Al said enigmatically. He started packing up his things, and Scorpius suddenly realised he didn’t want him to leave.

“Can I open this now?” Scorpius asked tentatively. Without waiting for an answer, he ripped off the brown paper, revealing an envelope, a small box, and a much larger one, all wrapped in more brown paper covered in drawings and notes. He turned the small box this way and that, trying to read what was clearly Al’s spiky handwriting. He realised that each point illustrated a memory from their friendship.

“I know a spell to unwrap gifts if you want me to take the paper off without ripping it,” Al offered. He smiled when Scorpius nodded and waved his wand so that the paper flew off of the small box and folded itself into a neat pile on the table.

The small present was a green box of Honeydukes’ deluxe hazelnut truffles- they were Scorpius’ favourite. Taped to the top of the box was a little note.

_I know I drive you nuts. I’m sorry. Please forgive me._

Scorpius couldn’t help laughing. The pun was so characteristic of Albus.

“Read the letter,” Albus prompted. “It goes with the small present. And the big one is actually for your birthday.”

As Scorpius pried open the thick envelope, Albus picked up his stuff and slouched up to their room. Ignoring him for the moment, Scorpius started to read.

_Scorpius,_

_First of all, happy 16th! Man, I can’t believe we’ve known each other for more than 5 years._

_I know those years haven’t all been great. I’m so sorry. I know I’ve been a jerk, and said some incredibly stupid things. Rose said she’s amazed that you’re still friends with me, and I have to say she’s right. I was thinking about it all night after I lost my temper on the train, and I realised I don’t deserve a friend as good as you._

_But I want to. You’re such a genuinely good person that you inspire everyone around you to be better too. You deserve better than the dick I’ve been recently for a friend, and I know I can be better than that. So I guess my first present to you is a promise to try my best to be better. A better friend, a better brother… and a better son. I think you’re right (as usual) about me being too harsh on my dad. He doesn’t need that on top of everything else that’s going on._

_I’m now rereading what I wrote and realising it’s all about me. But today should be about you. It should be to celebrate how awesome you are, and all the cool things you’ve managed to do in life. And celebrate we shall. I know you hate surprises more than anything in the world, so here’s your heads up that you will be abducted for a party in an undisclosed location tomorrow night (we wanted to do tonight, but no one’s going to make it to class tomorrow if they were up all night partying). If you fail to act appropriately surprised, it wasn’t me who told you._

_Happy birthday mate!_

_-Al_

Scorpius groaned at the news of the party. At least they had thought to move it to a Friday, but he couldn’t help thinking that this was not going to end well. It was nice to know his friends were thinking of him though.

With a shrug, he turned to the largest present. He couldn’t remember the spell Albus had used, so it took him quite a while to remove the personalised paper. He finally found himself with an NQL (National Quidditch League) official broom care kit. He opened it in wonder to find one more surprise: a small envelope with a note scribbled on it in unfamiliar writing.

_Scorpius, Happy Birthday! Congratulations on 16, I know it’s going to be an amazing year for you!_

_I wanted to promise you that I’ve been holding up my end of our bargain, and to thank you for yours. Please find enclosed a little present for you to share with your dad. Don’t forget, you’re one day going to cherish the memories you make with him._

_All the best, and enjoy the game!_

_Harry_

Scorpius opened the envelope to find two tickets to the NQL opening match, which would fall over the easter holidays. His jaw dropped as he realised that these were two of the best tickets, to one of the most anticipated quidditch games of the year. Tickets for this game usually sold out before the previous season even ended.

“I don’t know what Al is complaining about,” Scorpius muttered, packing up his stuff. “Knowing Harry Potter has _amazing_ perks.”

\-----------------------------------

Easter 2022

“I wish they’d just leave him alone,” Ginny sighed as she dumped the newspaper on the dining table. Al looked up from his porridge to find see a familiar headline on the discarded newspaper. _The chosen one comes out: is he inspiring our children or leading them astray?_ He rolled his eyes before turning back to his porridge.

“So what should we do today?” Ginny asked. Albus considered his mum’s question. It was just the two of them- that had been a rare thing over the years, but James and Dad were both travelling for work, and Lily had opted to stay at school for the holidays.

“We could go flying?” he suggested. As if nature was mocking him, the sound of thunder resonated from outside. His family had never shied away from flying in the rain, but after her own accident had put an end to her athletic career more than 6 years ago, his mum insisted that no one fly in thunder and lightning. She liked being a sports reporter well enough, having planned to do that anyways once she retired, but everyone knew she missed being out on the pitch herself. His dad used to joke that she missed playing more than she missed her leg.

“I guess we’re staying home,” he grumbled.

“I don’t see what’s wrong with that,” Ginny said slyly. “I may or may not have nicked those muggle games from your grandpa last weekend.”

“There are video games?” Al cried excitedly. They had played them at the Burrow over Christmas, and all the cousins were addicted.

“I bet I can lap you in that car racing game!” Ginny challenged.

“Not a chance,” Albus shot back.

Four hours later, they were lying on the living room floor, their eyes stinging from staring non-stop at the screen and their hearts racing from the fast-paced game. Ginny had in fact managed to lap Al at one point, through what he called creative cheating, but he had soon caught up to her and tied the race.

“I’m hungry,” Albus complained.

“Me too. And I think we need a break from this game, my eyes hurt.”

They dragged themselves into the kitchen, digging the previous night’s leftover roast out of the fridge and making sandwiches with it. Albus brought the plates over to the table, brushing that morning’s newspaper onto an empty chair to make room for the food. He noticed his mum glancing wearily at it before biting into her own sandwich.

“Mum?” Albus asked. “How have you been doing?”

“Hmm? I’ve been well Al. Why do you ask?”

“I meant… with the divorce and all… and everything in the press. Are you handling it okay?”

Ginny smiled. “Yes, Al, I’m doing great. It’s annoying to see what they’re writing about your dad, but only because he’s my friend and I know it hurts him. No one’s really been bothering me.”

“That’s good.”

“How have you been doing?” she asked. “I know you were more upset than Lils or Jamie about the divorce…” he heard a note of worry in his mum’s voice.

Albus couldn’t meet his mother’s eye. He had recently come to terms with why it had struck such a chord with him, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to talk about it yet. But then he remembered Scorpius not being able to tell his mum his biggest secret. If, Merlin forbid, something happened, Al didn’t want to risk falling into the same position as his friend.

“I… I think I was being really unfair to dad. I… I got really scared about how things would change for us.”

“Have things really changed that much?” Ginny asked. “Your dad and I never spent much time together before either, unless it was with you kids. We were always busy with our own work.”

Al sighed. This was it. “No, that didn’t change much. I kind of realised that after a couple of weeks. But, I still felt like shit and I wasn’t sure why.”

“Is that still an issue? Are you still feeling down?”

Albus nodded, glancing at the paper again. “Now I know why though. I think it was because of all the press coverage. People are saying that dad’s such an inspiration for coming out, and being a leader and all, and I’m happy for him, I really am! But sometimes I wish it hadn’t become public news, because _everyone_ has an opinion, and I’m realising not all of them are good ones. Actually, a lot of them aren’t great.”

“Sweetheart, you know your dad can’t buy milk without it making the front page. As much as it sucks, there isn’t much he can do about it.”

Al nodded. “I just don’t get how he was able to tell the whole world, knowing how everyone would react. I live in a family of Gryffindors and I don’t get any of you. How are you all so brave?”

“Honestly, sometimes I think your dad’s as much of a Slytherin as you are. He told me it wasn’t bravery, so much as logic that motivated him to come out.”

“What on earth is logical about this whole media circus?” Al wondered out loud.

“It was more a question of logic regarding his feelings. He said, oh Merlin, what was it?” Ginny thought for a moment before it came to her.

“Oh yes. Those who care don’t matter, and those who matter don’t care.”

“So… you wouldn’t mind… if I,” Albus took a deep breath. “If I was gay too?”

“Of course not. Albus Severus Potter, you can be anything in the world and I will still love you no matter what.” He looked up to find his mum smiling at him, and couldn’t help smiling back.

“That’s… that’s good,” he said, nodding. “That… yeah. I was kinda worried there, but… yeah.” He glanced at the paper again.

“Oh, it was all the horrible things they were writing that was upsetting you, wasn’t it? It’s been making you feel scared to accept your own sexuality.” She got up and made her way around the table, sitting back down next to Albus and pulling him into a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that sweetheart.”

“It… it’s kinda given me a new perspective as to what things must be like for dad,” he admitted. “To be too scared to say or do anything because you know the whole world will have an opinion on it.”

“Oh he hates it. Actually, being married to him for two decades has made me hate it too. You wouldn’t believe how many people ask me on a daily basis if he was having an affair, or if he’s seeing someone new.”

“Is he?” Albus asked without thinking.

“Oh not you too!” she groaned. She laughed as Albus realised his mistake.

“I’m just teasing. No, your father never cheated on me. And as far as I know, he’s still single.”

“Oh, okay.” Suddenly a thought occurred to Albus. “What about you?” he asked. He was surprised to see his mother blush.

“I, um, may or may not have been flirting with one of the Tutshill Tornadoes chasers,” she mumbled. Albus broke out laughing.

“Phillippe? Yeah, he’s hot. Scorpius and I spent a solid 10 minutes the other day talking about how ripped he looked in his last photo shoot.”

“Al, can I ask… you and Scorpius?”

“No,” Al said suddenly. “He’s dating Rose, remember?”

“Ah, yes. So it’s only you then.”

“I, what?” Albus spluttered. “I never said-”

“You didn’t have to,” Ginny said calmly, getting up to clear their plates. “You and your father are identical. Completely head over heels for a Malfoy, both of you.”

“What? Dad… Dad likes Mr. Malfoy?”

“He doesn’t want to face it yet, but yes. Those two will keep dancing around each other for months before they admit to their feelings.”

“But Scorpius is dating Rose!” Albus reminded her. “He won’t want me.”

“Patience dear. Either he’ll grow to realise that he does love you, or you’ll grow to realise you love someone else. But until then, don’t go beating yourself up for your feelings. They’re completely valid, even if you can’t act on them.”

She gave her son a moment to consider her words, before changing the topic.

“Come on, back to our race. I’m definitely going to smoke you this time.”

 


	5. Malfoys moving on

 

> Chapter 6: Careful Conversations
> 
> _Possibly even more awkward for some people than the discussion of sexual activity is the discussion of sexual health, especially when broaching the topic of sexually transmitted infections. But don’t shy away from these conversations! This chapter covers all the questions you should ask your partner, the information you need about sexually transmitted infections, and great ways to continue enjoying sexual relations in a safe environment!_
> 
>  

_August 2022_

“They broke up,” Draco said, trying to force his voice to be as casual as possible. Of course, after weekly meetings with Harry for almost a year, they had grown close enough that he could tell he wasn’t convincing his friend.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Rosie didn’t say anything. Is Scorpius okay?” Harry asked kindly. Draco nodded.

“It would seem so. Apparently it was a mutual decision.”

“Did he tell you why?”

“He said it was fun while it lasted, but they both wanted different things. He also said a relationship shouldn’t be boring and comfortable at the age of 16.”

Harry snorted. “That kid talks like a 150 year old wizard. I think Dumbledore was reincarnated into your son’s body.”

Draco gave him a scandalized look. “Don’t even joke about things like that. He just happens to be quite clever.”

“Hey Papa. Oh, hi Mr. Potter.” Draco turned to find his son walking out onto the patio, as if the conversation about him had made him materialise from thin air.

“Scorpius, how are you?” Harry asked. “Going flying?” he added, noticing the broom in Scorpius’ hand.

“Yeah, I’m supposed to be keeping in shape for next year, but I haven’t flown in over a week.”

“Well, don’t let us keep you.”

Nodding at the pair, Scorpius marched to the edge of the patio, mounting his broom and kicking off in one swift motion. They watched as he shot over the fields, diving and looping and turning this way and that.

“He’s really good,” Harry pointed out. “It’s been ages since I’ve flown like that.”

“Hmm, yes. I miss the days when I could do loops like that without throwing out my back.”

They both laughed.

“Hey, Mr. Potter!” The two men looked up to find Scorpius hovering about 20 feet above them. “I hear you were the best seeker at Hogwarts!”

“Hey! I resent that,” Draco called, as Harry and Scorpius laughed.

“Wanna fly with me? Both of you?” Harry and Draco looked at each other before deciding that was exactly what they wanted.

Ten minutes later, the three of them were laughing as they raced across the grounds. Draco couldn’t remember the last time he felt this happy and excited, the wind blowing through his hair. After a lap of the grounds, Scorpius suggested a few seeker games.

“One person can be the ref while the other two race for the snitch,” he suggested.

“Well, why don’t you two try first?” Draco suggested. “That way you can see what competing against Harry here was like.”

Nodding, they both got into position around Draco, who released the snitch, counted them down from 10, and then they were off. Draco followed lazily behind, staring in awe as his son and friend chased each other over the tops of the trees, before following the snitch down amongst the higher branches. He was amazed at the agility with which Scorpius moved on his broom, effortlessly pulling off a tight hairpin swerve when the snitch suddenly changed direction, while Harry struggled to stop and turn around. They followed the snitch into a clearing, and suddenly both seekers pulled into a tight dive towards the ground. Draco watched, eyes wide as Harry pulled up about 2 meters from the ground, but Scorpius kept going. His wand was out and ready to cast a cushioning charm when his son finally pulled up, barely a foot from the ground, waving the snitch triumphantly.

“Scorpius!” Draco scolded. “That was incredibly reckless of you! You could have snapped your neck!”

“But I didn’t,” Scorpius said cheekily. “Honestly papa, if I was worried about breaking my neck, do you think I would have won the cup this year?”

“You got extremely close for a dive though,” Harry pointed out. “Even professional players don’t usually cut it so close.”

“Okay, fine,” Scorpius sighed. “I won’t get that close again. Not in front of you anyways,” he muttered the last part under his breath. No one was surprised to see Draco scoff.

“Well I guess I’ll just have to come to every single one of your games now. Maybe I’ll pop in on your practices from time to time too. Speaking of which, you wanted to practice, right? You may have beat our has-been saviour, but let’s see how your fare against your old man.” Nose held high in the air, Draco kicked off, completely missing the smile Scorpius was sharing with Harry.

“You’re goading him into coming to all the games on purpose,” Harry pointed out. “Trying to draw him out of the house?”

“And it’s working perfectly,” Scorpius winked, following his father into the air.

Of course Draco was no match for Scorpius, who shot off after the snitch at breakneck speed. Draco zoomed along behind him, doing his best to keep up. They dipped and dived and at one point Scorpius tricked Draco by doing a complicated hairpin turn. Being one step behind did give Draco the opportunity to watch his son fly though. He was amazed at the skill Scorpius displayed- why had he never known how good his son was? As Scorpius caught the snitch, whooping with delight, Draco resolved that he really should be attending more of Scorpius’ games.

“Well Scorpius is clearly the superior flyer here,” came Harry’s voice as he caught up to the pair. “The real question is, who’s second best? Up for another loss, uh, I mean, match, Draco?”

Draco glared at Harry as Scorpius started laughing. “You’re on,” he snarled playfully, straightening up on his broom. Scorpius counted them down, and within seconds, they were off.

Draco had forgotten how competitive he used to be with Harry, but those memories came flooding back as they raced across the grounds, neck in neck, after the tiny little snitch. For a moment it looked like Harry was about to pull ahead, but then the snitch decided to fly off to the left and Draco gleefully took the lead. They ducked in and out of the trees, chasing after it, before the snitch once again went into a dive. They followed it down, closer and closer to the ground until Harry pulled up. Draco kept going, pulling hard on his broom and ending up level to the ground, his feet grazing the grass as he reached out and grabbed the snitch. Unfortunately, he overbalanced and ended up rolling across the soft grass, snitch in hand and laughter bubbling uncontrollably from his chest.

He glanced up to see where Harry and Scorpius went, and was surprised to find that he was lying next to Astoria’s headstone. They must have flown far to end up here.

“I caught the snitch Tori!” He whispered excitedly. “I finally beat Potter! Merlin I wish you were here to see it, and to see how good Scorpius is. But it’s okay. I know you’re still watching from somewhere up there. And if you are, you’ve probably been shaking your head at what a mess I’ve been.”

“Papa!” Draco waved up at Scorpius, who had just appeared above the clearing.

“I promise I’ll try harder. I wasn’t doing so well before, but now I think I might be able to move on. At least for Scorpius’ sake.”

Just then, Scorpius landed next to him, falling to his knees as well.

“Papa, are you okay?” he asked worriedly. “Are you hurt?”

Draco sat up, shaking his head. “I’m fine Scorpius, don’t worry about me.”

“Oh, I’m not worried, I’m mad. What did you just say about risky dives?” In that instant Scorpius looked so much like his mother that Draco couldn’t help laughing.

“Well maybe now you know how I feel when you do it,” he said pointedly. Scorpius conceded the point as Harry touched down beside them as well.

“I caught the snitch,” Draco said, unable to help the smug grin that had taken over his face.

“For the first and last time in your life I’m guessing?” Harry teased back.

“I’ll take you on anytime, old man.”

“We’re the same age!” Harry cried. “But you’re on. Though not today, I’m already going to be feeling this afternoon in my thighs tomorrow.”

Draco groaned as he realised that was his fate too. Deciding that was enough practice for the day, the three of them trooped back into the manor to clean up.

\---------------------------------------

“Oh yeah, I wanted to ask, how are the floo renovations going, Mr. Potter?”

Harry looked up in surprise at Scorpius’ question. He was just lacing his boots back up, getting ready to leave for the evening.

“Floo renovations?” he asked, confused. His floo had been brand new with the house. He shouldn’t need to renovate it for at least another 15 years.

“Yeah, Al told me you guys were getting the floo redone, and that was why we couldn’t floo call this summer, and why he couldn’t come over. We’ve been exchanging owls, but they’re so slow.”

Harry stared at his laces, trying to figure out how to answer. Scorpius was clearly eager to spend time with his friend again, but on the other hand, there had to be a good reason why Al was avoiding talking to him.

“Yeah, um, I’m not sure when exactly you guys will be able to floo again, but hopefully it’ll be soon.” He cursed his son’s lies. He was already sore, and now he’d have to apparate home instead of taking the floo. Just then, Draco walked in, handing over a book he’d promised to lend Harry weeks ago.  


“Thanks Draco. And thanks for letting me fly with you both, it was fun.”

“I’ll see you next week?” Draco asked. Harry couldn’t help smiling at the hopeful tone he knew Draco tried so hard to mask. He nodded, waving goodbye to Scorpius before turning on the spot and disappearing with a pop.

He landed directly in his living room, and saw a pack of exploding snap go off in Albus’ face. Serves him right, Harry thought bitterly as he collapsed on the sofa. He hated apparating.

“Dad!” Albus cried out, as Lily roared with laughter. “Why didn’t you use the floo?”

“Because apparently my brand new floo had been under renovations all summer,” Harry snarked back. “Shame really, I paid extra to have the Wallenbeys update it before handing over the keys.”

“Okay, I’m confused. We just flooed back from Hugo’s place last night,” Lily pointed out.

“I lied, okay? I just… I can’t talk to Scorpius right now,” Albus blurted, staring down that the cards.

“Did you two get into a fight again?” Harry asked worriedly. Scorpius hadn’t seemed upset, but he knew the Malfoys well enough to know that they could hide any emotion they wanted to.

“I bet you said something stupid again. Probably called him a… what was the word you used before? Oh yeah, a “fucking shirt lifter,” right?” Harry’s heart dropped at the sound of Lily’s cold tone. Was that really something Albus had said to Scorpius before?

“Lils, I’m sorry. I’ve apologized to both of you a hundred times,” Albus pleaded. “Can’t you let it go already?”

“You apologized to Scorpius and me, but did you apologize to dad? Because I seem to recall it was him that you were so disgusted with.”

Harry’s heart was racing. What were the kids talking about? Was Albus really disgusted with him for being gay?

“What are you doing Lily?” Albus cried angrily. “Why do you have to drag up the past like this?”

“Because you’re acting like Hippogriff shit to everyone!” she screamed back. The sound of her shrill voice snapped Harry into action.

“Enough,” he said firmly. “Lily, can you go to your room please?”

“Why should I-” Lily sounded outraged, but Harry cut her off.

“Or you can go to Hugo’s. I’m not punishing you, I just want to talk to Al.”

Lily’s expression cleared immediately. She glanced guiltily at her brother as she left the room. Harry stared at Al, who was staring intently at his socks. As soon as he heard Lily’s door shut, Harry spoke.

“Al… does it really bother you that I’m gay?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too hurt.

Al looked up, eyes wide. “Dad, no, I swear, I didn’t mean what I said, I just, I was so scared and it just kept making me angry, and-”

“What exactly happened?” Harry asked. The more he heard about this elusive incident, the more worried he was getting.

Al sighed heavily, looking back down at his feet.

“On the train back from Christmas, Lily and I were alone in a compartment. Someone had left a paper on one of the seats, and the headline was something nasty about you coming out. Lily was glaring at it for at least 10 minutes. I hated how angry it was making her. It just made me angry too. I finally vanished the paper. She seemed to calm down after a moment, and said that we should try to do something nice to cheer you up, since the papers had been printing such shit. But I was still in a pissy mood, and something inside me just snapped. I… I said a lot of horrible things to her, but the gist of it was that you didn’t care about our family anymore, and that you didn’t love her.”

“Al,” Harry said angrily. He loved his children more than anything in the world. How dare anyone tell them otherwise, even if it was one of his other children?

“I know, it was terrible and I shouldn’t have said it, any of it. And like I said, I didn’t mean any of it. I was just so angry and scared, and it just kept pouring out of me. Eventually Rose and Scorpius showed up, and at that point Lily lost it and left crying. Rose went with her, and Scorpius tried to set me straight, but I lashed out at him too. They were both pretty mad at me for the next week or two, but I kept apologizing and they came ‘round eventually.”

Harry was silent for a moment as he tried to take in all this information. How had he not heard about his children having such a major row? Had they told Ginny? What had even caused it? He looked down at Al, who was watching him carefully.

“Al, what made you so angry and scared that you lashed out like that at your sister and your friends? Was it the divorce?”

Al shook his head, and Harry was surprised to see a tear rolling down his cheek. Despite his protesting muscles, Harry slid off the sofa to sit on the ground next to his son. He reached out and pulled him close, waiting for him to calm down.

“I didn’t figure it out until Easter, when I was talking to mum. It’s… it was all the things they were writing about you, the public reaction to you coming out. It… it scared me. I couldn’t help wondering, if they were saying such horrible things about you, the hero of the wizarding world… what would they say about me?”

Harry tightened his hold on Al as he realised what he was saying. He couldn’t help thinking he’d like nothing more than to rip Skeeter limb from limb for the pain she kept causing his family. And if that was what Al had thought, how many other young witches and wizards had been discouraged from coming out after reading her articles?

“I get angry too,” Harry said after a while. “There are times when I just can’t control how horrible I feel about everything they write. It make me so mad to think that they must have scared so many people into staying in the closet with all their crap.”

“How do you deal with it?” Albus asked quietly, his head still resting on Harry’s shoulder.

“I mostly try to ignore it. But sometimes I just need a bit of reassurance from my friends and family that what the papers said is wrong. And sometimes I need to just let it all out. In that case I usually go to the training room at work and shoot a bunch of spells at the mannequins.”

“I don’t have a training room,” Al pointed out.

Harry chuckled. “No, you don’t. But you do have friends and family who care about you, and are always willing to lend an ear. That is, if you don’t pretend your floo is under renovations.”

Al tensed up at that. “I just, I don’t know if I’m ready to tell Scorpius,” he mumbled.

“Al, you don’t have to tell him if you don’t feel ready. But do you really have to stay away from him all summer?”

“I’m so scared that if I see him, I’m going to blurt out all my feelings for him.”

Ah. So this was a classic case of awkward teenage love.

“Would it really be so bad to tell him how you feel?” Harry asked.

“Dad, it would be a disaster. I didn’t originally because he was dating Rose, but now that they’ve broken up, they don’t hang out as much. I’m realising that I don’t want to risk our friendship going sour if he doesn’t feel the same.”

“I don’t think Scorpius would let that happen,” Harry frowned.

Albus sighed. “I’m not ready to take that risk. I just need the summer to get my emotions in check, and then I’ll be good to go for the school year.”

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea to hide your feelings like that, but you’ll be ready when you’re ready.”

They sat in silence for a moment, and Harry was just thinking that he should go check on Lily, when Al spoke again.

“Are you going to tell Mr. Malfoy how you feel, dad?”

Harry stared at his son.

“What do you mean?”

“Mum said you’ve liked Mr. Malfoy for a while, and that you just don’t know it yet. I don’t get how you can like someone and not know it though.”

Harry’s mind immediately raced to the Howler he was going to send Ginny for saying something like that to Al, but a small part of his mind couldn’t help thinking that she was absolutely right.

“I’m going to go check on your sister,” Harry said finally. “Can you set the table for dinner?”

Al gave him a knowing smirk, but wandered into the kitchen anyways. Harry turned and made his way up to Lily’s room, knocking lightly before pushing the door open. He found her on her bed, reading the latest edition of Martin Miggs, The Mad Muggle.

“What’s up dad?” she asked as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

“Lily, can I give you a hug?” he asked quietly. She nodded and quickly moved over, leaning into his side and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Thank you for standing up for me,” he said. “And I want you to remember that no matter what, I will always love you more than anything in the world. You are an important part of this family. We’d never be the same without you.”

Lily nodded. “I love you too dad.”

\----------------------------------------------

  


_September 2022_

Draco stared as the train pulled away. He’d been doing well in the two weeks since he’d resolved that he would try to move on, but as he watched his son disappear once more, Draco definitely felt like crying again.

“Hey.” He turned to find himself face to face with Harry, who was looking at him curiously.

“Harry. How are things?” he said primly, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

Harry chuckled. “You sound like we didn’t just have breakfast together yesterday.”

Draco smiled. “I guess you’re right. Did everything go okay this morning, or was it chaos as usual?”

“They were surprisingly well behaved,” Harry said thoughtfully. “I’m guessing Scorpius was perfect as usual?”

“Bouncing with energy actually, he wouldn’t stop talking all morning. It’s going to get really quiet without him.”

He stared wistfully after the train, not noticing Harry rolling his eyes.

“Well, what are you up to tonight? If you’re free, wanna come over for dinner?”

Draco considered Harry’s offer. It probably would help his resolution if he wasn’t prattling around the manor alone.

“What time?”

 

\--------------------------------

7 hours later, Draco found himself in Harry’s warm kitchen, tearing at a slice of freshly baked bread while Harry stirred some kind of stew.

“Have you finished your floo renovations yet?” he asked, casting around for something to say.

Harry laughed, for some odd reason, but nodded.

“Yeah, it’s good to go. It’s funny, it seemed like such a headache in the moment, but now it seems so insignificant.”

Draco nodded, popping the last of the bread into his mouth.

“So, what are your plans for the semester?” Harry asked as he set two bowls down on the table. Draco took his time stirring it and helping himself to more bread, before answering.

“I was thinking I’d try to go to all the quidditch matches. I’d love to see Scorpius play.”

Harry nodded, breaking his bread into bits and dumping it in the stew. "Scorpius will love having you there to cheer him on. What else do you have planned?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Draco pointed out. He tasted the stew and was not disappointed.

"What are you going to do to keep busy?" Harry asked. "You always have a rough time sending Scorpius back to school. I would have thought you'd plan a few things to keep yourself occupied."

Draco absolutely hadn't thought of that at all. Now that he thought about it, he had no idea what he was going to do with himself until Scorpius came back again for the holidays.

"Are you saying you don't want to keep spending time with me anymore?"

Harry smiled. "Of course I do. But at most we spend 3 or 4 hours together in a week. That leaves 164 hours each week that you need to fill with something else."

"I wouldn't even know where to start," Draco admitted.

"What about a hobby? You could start painting, or learning to cook. Maybe you could take up running."

Draco made a face at that. "I hate running."

"Well what do you like doing?" Harry asked. Draco thought about it as they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm not sure," he said finally. "By the time I was old enough for hobbies, there was a war going on and I didn't really have time to focus on anything else."

"Maybe you could get out and volunteer in the community?" Harry suggested. "It would be a good way to meet people too."

"I suppose... I'm not sure who'd want me to work with them though."

"St. Mungos has a volunteer program. You should apply."

Draco sighed. "My mind healer mentioned that too. I guess it would be good to get out of the house a bit. I'll send them an owl tomorrow."

"You seem like you're doing better though," Harry commented. "Like you're... moving on?"

Draco smiled at that. "I've resolved to do so. Let's see if I actually succeed."

"Really?" Harry sounded surprised. "When you say you've resolved to move on, do you mean just not wallowing anymore, or are you thinking you might want to start dating again?"

"Definitely no more wallowing," Draco confirmed. "Dating though... That last night, before she… anyways, Astoria told me that she wanted me to be open to it. That I didn't have to force myself into starting a new relationship, but if one that I liked came along, she didn't want me to say no just because of her."

"Clever woman," Harry commented, making Draco smile again.

"That she was."

"Have you spoken to Scorpius yet? About potentially dating someone new?"

Draco laughed. "Not at all. I don't want to get his hopes up while I have zero prospects. The only people I see these days are my happily married mind healer and you. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to date me."

He glanced at Harry, who was giving him a guilty look.

"Well, actually..." Harry trailed off, still staring at Draco.

"Wait, you... you _want_ to date me?" Draco asked in surprise. His jaw dropped as Harry nodded. Draco found he was unable to form words, and spent the next few moments opening and closing his mouth like a fish. _Harry Potter_ wanted to date _him_?

"I'm sorry," Harry said suddenly. "I didn't mean to make things awkward. Just forget I said anything."

"Harry, it doesn't have to be awkward. I... I think I'd enjoy dating you too." Draco couldn't help smiling at the hopeful look that took over Harry's face.

"Well... that's okay then," Harry said, seemingly more to himself than anything. "I guess we should set up a first date then?"

"To be fair, this does actually feel quite a lot like a first date," Draco commented. "You making me dinner in your cozy kitchen?"

"You think my kitchen is cozy?" Harry grinned. "I guess compliments will get you anywhere."

"You know what I meant," Draco mumbled as Harry laughed. "But if you really want a second, maybe we could try that new restaurant that just opened on springturn lane?"

"It looks like a nice place," Harry agreed. "It's a date."

Draco couldn't help smiling at that. It was indeed.

\-------------------------------------------------

_November 2022_

"Al, what's going on?" Scorpius demanded. They had been sitting in silence for over an hour, and it was giving Scorpius a headache.

"What do you mean?" Al asked, looking up from his Transfiguration essay.

"You've been acting weird ever since we got back. It's been 3 months and you hardly say anything to me anymore. And you lied to me all summer about your floo being under renovation!"

Al paled a bit at that. "How did-"

"I overheard Lily bragging to all her friends that her Dad lets her use the floo alone now, that she's been doing it all summer!"

"Scorp-"

"You know, I thought things were getting better between us. I thought we were mending bridges and all that, but I guess not. You know, if you don't want to be my friend, all you have to do is say so."

"Scorp, you're my best friend. How can you even think that?"

"I don't know what to think anymore," he said bitterly, glaring at the fire.

"Hey, Scorp, look at me." He looked up to find Al's green eyes staring straight at him. "I'm sorry I've been quiet lately. I've just had a lot on my mind, and I'm trying to deal with it. But I promise I'm not mad at you or anything."

Scorpius nodded, feeling a little silly for his outburst. People were allowed to change.

"What's on your mind?" he asked carefully, trying to get Al to talk a bit more. Unfortunately all he got was a sad smile.

"How was your weekend with your dad?" Scorpius tried again. Al had gone with Mr. Potter to Godric's Hollow last weekend to visit his grandparents' graves.

"It was... nice. I haven't been to Godric's Hollow since I was a kid, it's a nice place. Mum made me wear formal robes though, said I didn't have to worry about blending in with muggles cuz it was Halloween."

Scorpius laughed at that. Albus hated wearing formal robes.

"Dad transfigured them as soon as we got there. I think he hates them even more than I do."

"How is your dad?" Scorpius asked.

"He's doing pretty good actually. I don't know if your dad told you..." Albus trailed off, and gave Scorpius a weird look. Luckily Scorpius knew exactly what he was talking about.

"I honestly can't believe it," he added. "They're the last people I expected to end up liking each other."

_"Exactly!_ Didn't they used to hate each other at school?"

Scorpius sighed. "Not anymore, I guess. Though I have to admit, Papa seems to be doing a lot better this year."

"What do you mean? Was he not okay before?"

Scorpius shook his head. "He was having a really hard time adjusting to being alone in the Manor. I considered dropping out of school for a bit, just to stay home with him."

"Really? What changed your mind?"

Scorpius smiled. "Your dad did. He overheard me telling Rose what I was thinking, and promised that he'd check in on Papa every week so that I could stay at school."

"And that's how they fell in love. So it's _your_ fault that they're dating," Albus teased. Scorpius laughed at the accusation. As absurd as it was, Al did have a point.

"Okay fine, it's my fault," Scorpius conceded. "It's not so bad though, is it? It seems like they're good for each other."

"Yeah, I guess they are."

"How about you? Got your eye on anyone?" Scorpius teased. He was delighted to find that Al promptly went red at his comment.

"You do! Who is it? Is she in our year?"

"I'm not telling," Al mumbled, staring intently at his parchment.

"Oh come on, don't be like that!" Scorpius whined. "Tell me who it is!"

Al shook his head as he picked up his quill and started writing again. Scorpius just sat there and pouted.

"Fine, then I'll have to guess. Is it Hannah? Oh, or how about Chay?" Albus simply rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. He couldn't help the little smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth though. _This_ was what their friendship was supposed to be like.

\---------------------------------------------

"Oh Merlin, it's not Jeanie, is it?" Scorpius demanded. Albus groaned. For the last 3 days Scorpius had done nothing but guess the name of pretty much every girl in the school. His head hurt from shaking it no all the time. He wasn't even sure how Scorpius knew all their names.

"I give up then. I've guessed every single girl at Hogwarts. You've either become a lot better at lying to me or it's not a girl."

Al glanced down at his feet, then cursed himself for being so predictable. Of course, Scorpius jumped at the hint.

"So it's _not_ a girl! Man, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just assumed. At least now I know you still can't lie for flobberworms. Let’s see, which of the guys could it be? Please tell me you don't have a crush on Michael!"

Albus sighed in relief at Scorpius' reaction. He hadn't necessarily expected a bad reaction, but he was really hoping Scorp wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Scorpius seemed to notice his expression though, and of course _that_ caused him to make a big deal of it.

"Oh boy Al, is that what’s been bugging you lately? Were you scared to tell me?”

Al shrugged. It was less the liking guys that he had been hiding from Scorpius, and more of the liking a certain guy that he wanted to keep secret.

“Hey, if you really don't want me to keep guessing, I won't. Just promise I'll get all the juicy details when those Gryffindor genetics of yours kick in and you finally kiss him."

Al laughed nervously. "I really don't think there's going to be any kissing happening Scorp. But I appreciate the support."

"Anytime," Scorpius laughed, and not for the first time, Al wondered how he ever got so lucky.

\------------------------------------

"Didn't I say no more dives?" Draco scolded playfully as Scorpius ran up to him. His cheeky son simply laughed as he hugged him.

"I had to Papa, I would have lost the snitch."

Draco sighed. "As long as you don't break your neck at the same time."

"No promises," Scorpius grinned. "I'm going to go get changed, shall I meet you here?"

Draco nodded. 10 minutes later, father and son set off down the path to Hogsmeade. It was only Slytherin's 3rd game of the year, but they had already developed a tradition of having dinner at the three broomsticks after each game. Draco couldn't help thinking as he held the door for his son how different his life was compared to a year ago. He had to admit he was feeling a lot better now that he left the house and socialised with others regularly. Draco had been surprised to find that he quite liked volunteering at the hospital. Once the volunteer coordinator found she could trust him, she had immediately put him in the pediatrics ward. The young children were exhausting, but Draco wasn't ashamed to admit that he loved them all dearly. Between volunteering 5 days a week, his weekly appointments with his mind healer, and dates with Harry at least 3 nights a week, Draco's schedule was constantly full and he loved it.

"So Papa, how have you been?" Scorpius asked as they sat down at a table in the corner.

“Busy,” Draco lamented. “There have been a lot more visitors at the hospital lately, probably because it’s the Christmas season. There’s always some child or other who’s getting sick because some well meaning relative brought treats that the kids can’t eat.”

“It always seems surreal to hear that people get sick from eating too many sweets,” Scorpius mused. “I’ve yet to meet a single person who’s like that.”

“That’s because you live in a castle full of teenagers with high metabolisms,” Draco pointed out. “Most adults have their limits. You grandfather never had more than a single truffle for dessert every night.”

Scorpius’ eyes went wide at that. “Really? If I’m not paying attention I down a whole box while reading!”

“Merlin, you’re just like Harry.” If there was one thing that Draco had learned in the three and a half months since they’d started dating, it was that Harry loved sweets. Any time Draco offered him chocolates, or cake, his eyes would light up and the treat would be gone within the hour. He’d actually shown up early today just to have time to stop in at Honeydukes.

“Yeah I’m noticing we have a lot in common actually. We both love sweets, we’re both better seekers than you -- he smirked at Draco, who blew a raspberry at him in return -- and we’re both devastatingly handsome,” he winked.

“You think he’s devastatingly handsome?” Draco asked, amused.

“He’s alright,” Scorpius said casually. His smirk suddenly turned evil. “But that’s what you think, isn’t it?”

Draco blushed as Scorpius laughed. It’s not like his son was wrong.

“Be careful Papa. I think it’s important to warn you, now that you two are getting quite close, it’s likely you’ll be having certain… urges.”

“Scorpius, what?”

“Actually, I think we need to have a little talk about that,” Scorpius continued.

“Are you forgetting who gave you the talk in the first place?” Draco said, confused as to why his son was behaving like this.

“Not at all. I don’t think I’ll _ever_ forget how awkward that was. So now it’s your turn.”

Draco’s jaw dropped as he realised what Scorpius was doing. This was revenge for that awkward sex talk from last year. He blushed and spluttered as Scorpius went on and on about the importance of protection spells and hygiene, using a lot of the exact sentences Draco had said.

“I know this is quite different from when you were with mum. For one thing I imagine it will take a lot more lube-”

“Scorpius that’s enough!” Draco huffed, his resolve to simply ignore his son disappearing at the mention of Astoria.

“Apparently there can never be enough lube, Papa. Now, I understand you’re aware of where to put it, or do you need a more detailed explanation?”

“For Merlin’s sake, please, no. We haven’t even kissed each other yet.” Draco felt a little childish admitting that fact to his son, but he couldn’t take it back now. Scorpius, for his part, suddenly looked worried.

“Are, um, are things going okay with the two of you?” he asked delicately.

“Yes, it’s going great,” Draco smiled. “We just haven’t really gotten around to… erm, physical intimacy.” He silently prayed that this wouldn’t prompt another revenge sex talk.

“Well then, I guess my talk showed up at the perfect time,” he smirked. “In all seriousness though, I’m glad you’re dating Mr. Potter. I know you were having a hard time moving on after mum passed away, but you seem to be doing a lot better.”

“I am. And I honestly have Harry to thank for that. He’s the one who pushed me into volunteering at St. Mungos too.”

“It’s not like I told you 100 times or so that it would be good for you,” Scorpius muttered into his butterbeer.

Draco laughed. “Yes you did. I’m sorry bud, I should listen to you more often.”

“Yes you should! Especially when I say it’s about time you kissed Mr. Potter.”

Draco’s eyes widened at that. “Scorpius, that’s not-”

“Am I right in saying it’s you who’s not ready for that? That you’re the one who stops him when he tries to kiss you?”

Draco couldn’t bring himself to meet Scorpius’ eyes. He didn’t want to admit that he still hadn’t fully let go of Astoria, and that kissing was something he thought of as being reserved for _her._

“Papa, you used to kiss mum all the time. Is it Mr. Potter that you don’t feel comfortable with?”

Draco shook his head. He knew there were tears forming in his eyes, but at that moment he didn’t care.

“It still… feels like something I should only be doing with her.”

Scorpius sighed. “Papa, have you ever said it out loud?”

Draco looked up at his son. “What do you mean?”

“Have you ever acknowledged her death, clearly? Have you ever said “Astoria is dead”?”

Draco’s eyes widened at his son’s boldness.

“Say it,” Scorpius encouraged. “Trust me when I say it helps. It hurts, but it helps.”

Trembling, Draco opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He took a few deep breaths before finally mustering up the courage.

“She’s dead. A-Astoria is d-dead.” Scorpius had been right. It _hurt_. The tears suddenly started falling fast and warm as the meaning sunk in, deeper than it had in a while. She was gone, and she was never going to kiss him again. Oh how he longed for just one more kiss.

But that was what he had Harry for. He sighed as he realised it really was time to move on. Dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief, he looked up at his wise son.

“Feeling better?” Scorp asked.

“Not in the least,” Draco sniffed. “But I will.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Draco spoke again.

“Um, Harry has invited us to the, uh, Weasley family home, for Christmas Eve dinner. Your grandparents won’t be arriving until Christmas morning, and I thought it might be fun.”

Scorpius’ face lit up at the suggestion. “That would be awesome! We’ll have to do some serious shopping though, to be able to get gifts for everyone.” He paused for a moment. “Actually, maybe not everyone. From what Rose and Al have told me about the size of their family, there’s no way we’d get enough presents on time. Maybe just for Rose, Albus, Lily and Hugo, and their parents and grandparents?”

Draco nodded at the sensible solution. He made a mental note to also add Scorpius’ own grandparents to the list, and to get all of Scorpius’ presents before he came home.

“Papa? Do Grandmother and Grandfather know you’re dating Mr. Potter?” Scorpius asked tentatively. Draco stared at his son. Somehow in their three month long romance, he hadn’t once thought to mention it to his parents. He finally realised Scorpius was waiting for an answer.

“I, um, haven’t had the, uh, chance to tell them,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if Mr. Potter’s gonna visit over the holidays,” Scorpius shrugged.

“I was going to write to them to confirm the details for Christmas tonight. I’ll… mention it.”

He wasn’t looking forward to it, he thought as he finally dropped Scorpius off at the castle. It was one thing to tell them he was seeing someone, and quite another to tell them 3 months after the fact. But most terrifying of all was admitting that that someone was _Harry Potter_. Merlin, he was so screwed.

\-----------------------------

Aside from at Hogwarts, Scorpius had never seen so many people in place. He stared in awe for a moment at the sheer number of people in Al's grandparent's house. There was a constant stream flowing around the corner and back. He knew their family was big, but Merlin, this was a new level.

He looked up to find his papa looking equally shocked. He was about to ask if he was okay when Mr. Potter showed up.

"Hey, you made it!" he said, pulling his papa into a large bear hug. Scorpius couldn't help smirking- he had never seen his papa hug anyone like that. His smile faded as he realized that that was his fate too.

"Scorpius! How've you been?" Mr. Potter asked, giving him a crushing hug.

"I've been well thanks, Mr. Potter. And yourself?"

For some reason Al's dad shot a glare at his papa before turning back to him.

"Please, call me Harry. Mr. Potter makes me sound old."

"But you are old," came Al's voice from behind them. Scorpius grinned as he found himself face to face with his best friend. "Hey Mr. Malfoy!"

"Didn't your dad just point out how old that makes us sound? You can call me Draco, Albus."

"But you are old," Scorpius repeated. The two boys started laughing at the disgruntled expressions on their fathers faces.

"I hear laughter!" An elderly lady with bright red hair streaked with grey bustled in, a stack of folded napkins levitating behind her. She set them down on the table before turning to the group.

"Hey Grandma," Al said happily. "This is Scorpius, and his pops, Draco."

"Hello Scorpius, it's lovely to finally meet you. I'm surprised you haven't been over before. And Draco, good to see you again."

"Thank you for having us, Molly." Draco handed her a bottle of elfin wine that he had chosen from the manor cellars. "This is a gift for you and your husband."

 

"Oh thank you dear," she said happily, placing the bottle on the counter behind her.

 

"Where's my present?" Harry teased, and Scorpius was glad to see the easy way his hand snaked around his papa's waist.

 

"I thought I was your present," Draco snarked back, leaning into the touch.

 

Scorpius and Al looked at each other before making identical retching noises. 

 

"Come on Scorp, I'll show you around," Al said, tugging him out of the room.

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

Scorpius had to admit, the Weasley home had a very warm and cosy feeling to it. He wasn't sure if it was because of the hodge podge decor, or the fact that everywhere he looked there was someone or the other laughing and having fun. He was introduced to an unbelievable number of people on his tour through the family home. He sighed in relief when they walked into the living room and found people he actually knew.

 

"Hey Scorpius," Lily called, her eyes fixed firmly on the game of gobstones she was playing against Hugo. Rose stood up from her spot beside Lily, reaching forward to give Scorpius a hug. He wondered how many more hugs he'd receive today, and if this was what a normal day with the Weasley family was like.

 

"What's the score?" Albus asked, stealing Rose's spot next to his sister. Ignoring them for the moment, Rose turned to Scorpius.

 

"Congrats on the match," she said softly. "Your new beaters seem to be shaping up."

 

"Yeah, they've started committing more to practices and it's paying off."

 

"That's good." They stood there in silence for a moment, watching the gobstones game. Scorpius cast around for something to say, unsure why they were being awkward all of a sudden.

 

"Congrats on Jackson," he said softly. Her eyes widened in surprise. 

 

"How did you know about that?" she demanded softly, trying not to attract the attention of her brother and cousins.  Scorpius knew she hadn't told anyone about her new boyfriend yet, and kept his voice down in an effort to conserve the secret.

"I'm sorry to say that Myrtle saw you two in the prefects bathroom," he smirked.

"Moaning Myrtle?"

"The very same."

"So the whole school will know the first day back," she sighed. "Oh well. We were going to tell a few friends anyways. I guess this way we don't have to do all the work ourselves."

"Yeah, more time for snogging in the prefects bathroom," Scorpius teased.

"Oh hush," she chided, slapping his arm lightly. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Scorpius asked innocently.

"Don't act dumb. Who is it that you've been daydreaming about recently?"

"I haven't been daydreaming about anyone," Scorpius insisted.

"Oh really? What was Binns discussing in History last Friday?"

"Er... the goblin revolution?" he tried. Binns was always talking about goblins revolting in some way or other.

"He was talking about the progression of merpeople legislation. But you weren't listening because you were busy staring into space."

"I'll have to borrow your notes," he mumbled, trying to change the topic. Of course, Rose was too sharp for that.

"I already have a copy for you, don't try to change the subject. You have a new crush."

"So what if I do," he asked, a little defensive.

Rose chuckled. "Scorpius, you're the most popular guy in school and you know it. You could have anyone you wanted. So why haven't you asked him yet?"

"He likes someone else," Scorpius sighed, before realising what he was admitting to. "Shit, I mean-"

Rose smirked as she cut him off. "I know what you meant. You're not the first person to fall for those green eyes."

"I... how did..."

"Have you ever noticed it's not a normal green for eyes? It's darker, more fierce. I wonder if it has something to do with the curse that uncle Harry survived."

Scorpius didn't have an answer for that. Thankfully he didn't need one.

"Scorpius!" They looked up to see Draco walk into the room with what had to be simultaneously the most handsome and ridiculous looking man Scorpius had ever seen. He had very realistic antlers on his head, with ornaments hanging off the various branches, and spiky red and green hair. His eyes looked incredibly familiar though.

"Scorpius, I'd like you to meet your cousin, Edward."

The man rolled his eyes and reached out to shake Scorpius' hand.

"Hey, I'm Teddy. Please don't call me Edward. It's nice to meet you, Scorpius."

"You too. I didn't know I had a cousin," he said slowly.

"I'm Andromeda's grandson," Teddy explained, and it suddenly clicked. Teddy had the same eyes as grandmother Narcissa.

"Oh, wait, nevermind, grandmother did tell me about you. It's nice to finally meet you too." Something else clicked at that moment.

"You're dating James," he said suddenly. He wanted to kick himself for forgetting that James would be here. He hadn't seen him since he graduated, and they hadn't exactly left off on the best of terms.

"Yeah, he's around here somewhere," Teddy said casually. "I'd introduce you but I think you guys already know each other?"

Scorpius simply nodded, unsure how much Teddy knew about his rivalry with James.

"Cool. Well, I've still got a lot of people to say hi to, but I'll see you around."

With a heavy feeling in his stomach, he sat back down to watch the new match of gobstones that Al was playing against Hugo.

As the afternoon wore on there was a continuous stream of people flowing through the living room. At one point James walked in with his mother, but Scorpius managed to avoid him by ducking into the washroom. Thankfully he didn't see him again until dinner, at which point Scorpius made sure to seat himself between Rose and Albus, across from Lily and Hugo. He noticed James glance over at him as he sat down at the far end of the table, but Scorpius kept his head down.

"Hey, you okay?" Al asked as he passed Scorpius a dish of potatoes.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"He's just scared of James," Rose answered Al, reaching across Scorpius for a roll.

"Am not!" Scorpius said indignantly.

"If that's the case I can call him over to say hi," Lily offered innocently, though Scorpius knew there was nothing innocent about her offer.

"Don't you dare," he hissed, as Al and Hugo snickered into their water goblets.

Dinner lightened up a bit after that, and Scorpius almost forgot that James was around. By the time dessert was cleared, Scorpius felt ready to burst. He was quite sure he had never eaten so much in his life.

Most of the group piled into the living room after dessert, chatting and laughing as Al's grandma and his aunt Angelina handed out cups of coffee.

"Ooh, look who's under the mistletoe!" Rose's dad called out. Everyone looked up to see Harry and Draco sitting by the windowsill, a sprig of mistletoe creeping down over them.

He glanced at his Papa, who was blushing furiously. He cast about for something to distract everyone so that they could escape the dated tradition, but at that moment Harry spoke up.

"Um, we don't actually kiss each other," he said casually. "I guess there's no need for this." He pointed his wand up at the mistletoe. Suddenly, Draco reached out and pushed Harry's hand back down.

"Well... maybe we should?" he said tentatively. Harry's eyes lit up as he leaned forward, and a moment later the room was full of wolf whistles and applause as they shared their first kiss. Scorpius wanted to roll his eyes at how sappy it all was, but he couldn't help grinning at the sight of his father _finally_ moving on.

"I'm surprised it took them this long to get to their first kiss," came James' voice from behind him. Scorpius froze as the chatter resumed around the living room. He could feel himself getting angry on his father's behalf.

"Believe it or not, people can appreciate each other for more than sexual attraction. Thank Merlin your dad has more respect for others' consent than you," he huffed, folding his arms over his chest.

"Hey, Scorpius, I didn't mean that there was anything wrong with it. I'm just surprised because they're so obsessed with each other."

"And how would you know that?" Scorpius scoffed.

"Because I've hung out with them a few times. They come to my games from time to time, and Teddy and I have dinner with them on occasion."

Scorpius couldn't help feeling a little jealous at that. James got to see both their fathers regularly but he didn't? How unfair.

"Hey, I know I'm about two years too late, but I wanted to say I'm sorry for how much shit I gave you at school. It took getting kicked out of the house for me to realise how much of a dick I was being."

"Yeah, you were a jerk," Scorpius couldn't help grumbling.

James sighed. "I really am sorry. I promise I've grown up since then."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

James laughed at that. "I was hoping you'd say that. Why don't you come over and hang out with Teddy and I one day? He's been dying to get to know you and spend some time with you."

As much as he wanted to get to know his cousin, Scorpius couldn't help thinking that even just an afternoon with James was going to end in disaster.

"You don't have to decide now, I know Teddy said he was planning to owl you in a few days," James offered. "We can tell Al to tag along too if you're not comfortable coming alone."

"I'll think about it," Scorpius mumbled. "Excuse me," he added, not wanting to talk to James anymore. Grabbing his coat on the way out, he wandered into the snow covered yard, admiring the moonlight shining over the iced orchard.

He didn't like how unsettling it was to talk to James. It reminded him of fourth year all over again, and with everything that happened in it, he could easily say that his fourth was his least favourite year. He suddenly felt all those emotions rushing back, the fear and uncertainty, the anger and the confusion. He was supposed to have moved on from all that, moved on with his life. For the first time in a while, he wished he could talk to his mother again. Wished he could go back to sitting on her lap, eating cookies and talking through everything that confused him.

He could feel the tears freezing on his cheeks, but he didn’t bother trying to wipe them away. This was supposed to have been a happy event, and yet here he was wandering around the yard in a foul mood.

He had to admit, it was partly because he was seeing everyone coupled up as well. It was especially hard seeing his father with Harry, because they reminded him so much of himself and Al. He didn’t know when he had fallen for his best friend, but now that Rose had pointed it out, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Of course, thanks to his blasted luck, Albus just had be interested in someone else.

“Scorpius?” _Think of the devil,_ Scorpius thought to himself as he hastily wiped his face and turned to face Albus.

“Are you crying?” his friend asked worriedly. “Did James say something again?”

Scorpius shook his head. “He didn’t say anything mean. Actually, he invited me to go spend the day with him and Teddy one day.”

Albus nodded. “Teddy’s wanted to meet you for a while now. And James has changed a lot. You guys are actually pretty similar now that I think about it.”

Scorpius glared at Al. That was the last thing he wanted to hear right now. Of course his friend just laughed at his expression.

“Okay, fine, you guys are different. You have different coloured hair, and cheer for rival teams.”

“Yeah, and he gets to spend time with our fathers, and he still has a mum.” _And he actually has a chance with the guy he likes,_ Scorpius finished in his head.

“So that’s why you’re in a mood. Do… um, do you want a hug?”

Scorpius nodded, stepping forward into Al’s embrace. He couldn’t help the tears that started falling again, but Al didn’t seem to mind.

“Scorp, you know if we weren’t at Hogwarts your Papa would probably spend every waking moment with you, right? In fact, if you told him you wanted to see him more often, he’d probably move back into the Slytherin dorms with us just to be there for you.”

Scorpius giggled at the idea of his father living with them in the dorms.

“I know. I guess I’m just being melancholy,” he sighed. “Thanks for coming and checking on me though.”

“Of course,” Al shrugged. “What are friends for?”

  


\-----------------------------------------------------

  


“Scorpius! Come on in!” Scorpius brushed the soot off his sweater as he stepped out of the floo into Teddy’s living room. He looked up just in time to see Teddy coming towards him, arms spread as if he was going to give him a hug.

“Ted, stop,” came James’ voice from the doorway. Teddy glanced over his shoulder at his boyfriend, a confused look on his face.

“Ask him before hugging,” James said. Teddy turned back to Scorpius, a bit of a sheepish look on his face.

“Sorry, he’s right. Are you okay with hugs?”

“I, um, I’d rather not actually. Sorry.”

“Nonsense, don’t apologize. Come on in.”

Scorpius glanced up at James, surprised that he stopped Teddy from hugging him. While he never made a fuss about it, he really preferred not to hug people who weren’t his parents or his closest friends (which was pretty much just Al and Rose). Most people didn’t realise that though.

“I have to finish a couple of things, I’ll be down in a bit,” James said softly. “Make yourself at home.”

He wandered off down the hall as Teddy and Scorpius sat down across from each other in the sitting room.

“So, how’s your break going so far? I hear grandmother Narcissa is back in town?”

“Yeah. She and Grandfather came up on Christmas morning, and they’re going back to France for New Year’s.”

“Have they met Harry yet?” Teddy grinned. Scorpius couldn’t help the laughter.

“They did. It took an incredible amount of willpower not to laugh. Poor Harry made pretty much every faux pas in the book. He brought white flowers for Grandmother, and used the wrong fork for salad, and sat down on his seat from the right! He almost ended up in Papa’s lap, and Grandmother looked like she was about to cry.”

Teddy was now laughing too. “Even I didn’t know half of those rules. Draco must have had such a headache by the end of it.”

They were still talking about their grandmothers 15 minutes later, when James wandered in with a tea tray. He set it down on the coffee table, serving everyone before sitting next to Teddy. Scorpius couldn’t help noticing that he was weirdly quiet through Teddy’s story of the time he morphed into a cat to hide from his grandmother.

Just as Teddy was wrapping up his story, the floo wooshed and Albus stumbled out of the fire.

“Sorry I’m late,” he panted. “Dad found a new spell that locks the floo until all the chores are done, so I had to finish washing the dishes that I was leaving for later.”

“It’s all good,” Teddy said casually. “James was just serving tea, would you like some?”

Al nodded as he sat down next to Scorpius.

"So I hear Dad made a fool of himself at dinner last night," Al said to Scorpius. Scorpius nodded.

"It's okay though. I heard Grandmother telling Grandfather this morning that she was glad Papa's found someone who makes him happy. She said that she can teach him etiquette, but not how to love us. And to be honest, I totally agree."

"You're just saying that because Dad gives you presents," Al pointed out.

"Am not!" Scorpius cried in mock outrage.

"So I can tell him you don't want presents anymore?" Al teased.

"Don't you dare, my birthday's coming up," Scorpius sniffed.

"Any big plans?" Teddy asked. "It's a big one, right?"

Scorpius nodded. Part of him couldn't believe that he turning 17 in a couple of weeks.

"It is, but I have a match that day, we're neck in neck with Hufflepuff and this is my chance to crush them."

Teddy grinned at Al. "You're right, these two are identical," he laughed, gesturing between Scorpius and James. "Can't let anything get in the way of your Quidditch standing, eh? Is that what you want to do after Hogwarts? Professional Quidditch?"

Scorpius shook his head. He noticed Al staring at him and realised they had never actually discussed career goals with each other, weirdly enough.

"I want to be an astronomer," he said lightly. Teddy and James nodded approvingly, the way adults do, but Al snorted into his teacup. He came up for air, still laughing, and Scorpius couldn't help joining in.

"I feel like we missed a joke," Teddy said to James, who simply shrugged.

"Scorpius would be the world's most shit astronomer," Albus gasped, still laughing. "He can't even name the planets in order from the Sun!"

There was a quip about being unable to brew a simple cure for boils on Scorpius' tongue, but he knew Al had always been really self conscious about his acne, which was generally on the heavier side. He decided to prove his own worth instead.

"Yes I can! Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto!" He had mixed up Uranus and Saturn on purpose, and if the way Al was laughing was any indication, he knew exactly what Scorpius had done. Teddy looked a bit concerned though.

"If you need a bit of help in Astronomy, I used to find the Precursor series workbooks helpful. I think Flourish and Blotts still sells them."

This just made Al laugh harder. They all knew the Precursor series was for kids in years 1-3.

"We're just kidding around," Scorpius said a bit defensively. "I know more astronomy than that. Either way I'm not doing a NEWT in it, so I'm finally free."

"Excuse me, I'm just going to go put the lasagne in the oven," James said suddenly. Albus narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Since when do you cook?" he asked suspiciously.

"James is a great cook," Teddy said, confused. "You love his lasagne."

"That was you?" Albus asked his brother incredulously. "For the past two years I thought it was some special Tonks family recipe."

"Nah, it's dad's recipe," James said casually. "I just added a bunch of vegetables and swapped in low fat cheese to make it fit my Quidditch season diet, that's probably why it tastes different."

"Oh Merlin, they are identical," Albus sighed, smirking at Scorpius as James left. Scorpius glared at him.

"I'll have you know I eat regular cheese every day," Scorpius huffed.

"Only because the elves can't go to muggles stores to get the low-fat version, and McGonagall refuses to order it just for you."

Teddy was laughing behind his teacup. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes, no one asked for details. So Teddy, what do you do?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I own a bakery on Diagon Alley," Teddy explained.

"See, that's what I don't get," Albus interrupted. "You own a successful bakery. How is James the better chef?"

Teddy laughed. "I can bake pretty well, but for some reason I can't cook to save my life. I can tell you I've been in much better shape since James moved in and started cooking so much healthy food. Before then every meal involved pastry."

"That sounds delicious," Scorpius shrugged. "I don't see what the problem was."

That just made Teddy laugh more. "Talk to me again when you're my age, and we'll see where your metabolism is then."

"Knowing Scorpius it'll still be perfect," Al teased. "Can't be anything less, can you Scorp?"

"Nope," Scorpius joked along, though he felt a bit of a swooping sensation in his stomach at knowing Albus thought he was perfect. He cursed Rose for pointing out his crush and popping his bubble of obliviousness.

“James used to say the same thing at your age,” Teddy laughed. “But old age caught up to him too.”

“Who are you calling old?” James demanded, walking back into the room with a stack of folders in his hands.

“Oh no, please don’t get started with those quidditch plays again!” Teddy cried, eyeing the folders.

“I wasn’t going to,” James chuckled. “I just wanted to keep them on the mantle so that I don’t forget them tomorrow.”

“You have entire folders for quidditch plays?” Al asked, clearly confused. Scorpius had tried numerous times to explain to Al how plays could be planned out in a diagram, but he knew his friend had no interest in the strategy of the game; he just wanted to see who got hit by a bludger, and who caught the snitch.

James sighed as he balanced the folders over the fireplace.

“Our new assistant coach has been coming up with some ambitious moves recently, and she details them in enchanted diagrams and long pages of notes for each player. She wants me to learn a new type of dive, but it’s just so dangerous.”

Scorpius frowned. “Isn’t your coach supposed to promote safety, not reckless flying?”

James shrugged. “She went to a muggle university after Hogwarts, and studied something called physics. Apparently she’s done all kinds of calculations, and figured out that with a Nimbus 4000 series or higher, or a Firebolt Platinum, which is what the team uses, we should be able to pull off a really close dive, which also happens to involve rolling over and flying upside down. It’s ridiculous… no one in their right mind would attempt it, but she’s been pressuring me to try it for ages.”

“Huh. I wonder what it’s like to have someone pressure you into doing something you don’t want to,” Scorpius said pointedly. Teddy’s eyes widened, and Al gasped, but James, surprisingly enough, didn’t punch him. In fact, he held Scorpius’ gaze, and nodded.

“Classic example of life coming full circle, isn’t it?” he sighed. “I know I deserve it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and take it. I have a meeting with the head coach and the manager tomorrow, to talk about the limits of how far we should be pushing ourselves.”

Scorpius suddenly felt bad for taunting James. He may have been a jerk back in school, but that didn’t mean Scorpius had to be one now.

“Does it get closer than the Wronski feint?” Scorpius asked. The international guidelines for the optimal time to pull out of the Wronski feint had been set at 1 meter off the ground.

James nodded.

“It’s not the usual pull-the-broom-back-upwards move. Instead, she wants me to roll the broom forward, almost like doing a somersault in the air, and then fly along the pitch but upside down until I have a chance to right myself.”

“It’s a ridiculous idea,” Teddy said. “It takes too much concentration to be able to pull it off in the heat of a game. Even if a professional player like James could do it, it would set an example for kids all over the country, and who knows how many will snap their necks trying to pull it off?”

Scorpius was still picturing the move in his head. Of course, James and Teddy were right, it seemed much to dangerous. But it also seemed kind of brilliant, if only there was a way to make sure the seeker was approaching at the angle opposite to the direction the snitch was going to dart off in, and-

“Earth to Scorpius!” Scorp shook himself out of his thoughts, only to find Albus waving his hand in front of his face.

“Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment.”

“You were still thinking about the play I just described, weren’t you?” James questioned. Scorpius stared at him, still not believing how well his old rival could know him.

“Scorpius, don’t even consider it!” Teddy scolded. “This is exactly what I meant by kids being influenced by the behaviour of public figures!”

Scorpius bristled at the fact that Teddy still considered him a kid, but he also had to admit that Teddy was probably right. It probably wouldn’t even work, if he really thought about it.

But think about it he did, all the way through dinner, and James’ famed lasagne. He wondered what exactly this muggle _physics_ business was, and how reliable it could be in calculating the approach. Broom makers definitely did some kind of calculations to be able to streamline their products and improved maneuverability. Maybe it was similar to that?

All thoughts of daring quidditch moves flew out of his brain at the sight of what Teddy said was a Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle. Scorpius’ mouth watered just looking at it, and he shamelessly devoured two bowls in record time. Before long, the evening was over, and Scorpius and Al were standing in front of the floo, saying their goodbyes, Scorpius with a large box of trifle tucked under his arm (he insisted he was planning to share it with his grandparents, but everyone knew better than that).

“Man, I’m stuffed. Who knew healthy lasagne could taste so good?” Al sighed happily.

“Scorpius? Could I talk to you for a second?” Scorpius looked up in surprise as James popped his head out of the kitchen, where he had been washing dishes. With a weary glance at Al, he strode into the kitchen, wondering what on earth James could want from him.

“Scorpius, as much as we didn’t get along in school, Teddy and Al are right when they say we’re very alike. Which is why I know that that faraway look you’ve had all evening means you’re still thinking about that quidditch play.”

Scorpius didn’t respond. He didn’t want to admit that Teddy and Al, and now James, were probably right.

“Scorpius, when I was your age, and yes I know you’re going to make “old man jokes” about that later, but when I was your age, I know I would have tried that move without hesitation. I’m begging you, please, don’t even think about it! If nothing else, think about how devastated your dad, or my brother would be if you seriously injured yourself.”

Scorpius sighed as he realised James was right. He couldn’t risk putting his Papa through even more grief, just for a quidditch move.

“On an unrelated note,” James continued, “I wanted to tell you that I’m working on a campaign with mum, and I think you might like it. The media has been objectifying female athletes a lot recently, and a lot of youth sport programs, like summer camps, have noticed that they have less and less female players each year. We’re starting a series of articles with the paper, and a few news conferences with players on different teams, to teach people about how to encourage female athletes, instead of discouraging them.”

Scorpius thought of the incredible Slytherin keeper, Leia, who had stepped down from the team this year because her parents didn’t think it was appropriate for her to be an athlete. He thought of how all his favourite teams were mostly comprised of men. He thought about the time he had tried to take Rose flying, only for her to admit that she had never felt good enough to fly with her male cousins, and that because of that she had never really gotten the hang of a broom.

“That sounds… incredible,” Scorpius nodded. “It’s definitely needed.”

“I wanted to invite you to join us. I know you have a lot on your plate already, but if you ever feel like you’d want to join an interview, or write a statement as a star Hogwarts athlete, I think your voice is one that a lot of people could learn from. I know I did.”

Scorpius couldn’t help feeling proud at that. Would he really be able to help people like that?

“Think about it,” James said gently. “If you ever decide to be a part of it, send me an owl, otherwise, no pressure.”

Scorpius nodded, walking back to the floo in a daze. It was a amazing to think that James might actually be spearheading something like this. He was clearly not the same person he’d been back at Hogwarts.

As he bid goodbye to Teddy and Al, and stepped into the floo, he thought about how they continued to insist he was just like James. He smiled as he suddenly realised that maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

\--------------------------------

_January 2023_

  


“Let’s play spin the bottle!” Michael cried, brandishing an empty bottle above his head before stumbling over his own two feet. Everyone laughed, but no one seemed to take his suggestion seriously. The common room was getting quite hot from all the bodies hanging around and dancing, and the smell of cheap muggle beer was going to take days to air out. Scorpius grinned happily at the sight of all these people, from so many different houses. They were all here to celebrate _his_ 17th birthday. They were mostly all drunk as well, but so was he, so it didn’t really matter.

“This really is a perfect day!” he yelled in Al’s ear, making sure he was heard over the blaring music. It really had been. His Papa had been at his match that morning, and he’d beaten the Hufflepuff team, though only by a small margin. They’d then gone out for lunch, where he’d been gifted the most wonderful watch, which was now tucked away safely in his desk upstairs. As soon as Al had announced that there was going to be a party, Scorpius had known his watch would get damaged if he continued to wear it, and promptly took it off.

And now here they were drunk out of their minds. Though no one seemed quite as drunk as Michael, who picked himself right back up off the floor and yelled out to Scorpius, “It could be even more perfect with a game of kiss the bottle!”

“You mean spin the bottle?” Al asked.

“See, even Al wants to play!” Michael cried. “C’mon, everyone in a circle!”

There couldn’t have been more than 10 people who actually joined the circle, but somehow Scorpius found himself sitting across from Al, a fresh drink in both their hands, watching, mesmerised, as the green bottle started to spin.

The game was fun for the first 10 minutes of so, when he got to laugh at all the odd pairings that the bottle formed. Michael got a taste of his own medicine right off the bat, having to kiss his ex girlfriend, Lara. He also laughed when Rose forfeited, refusing to kiss her own cousin.

“Your turn Scorp,” Al laughed, sliding the bottle towards Scorpius. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward, and gave the bottle a firm spin. He had to use his other hand to brace himself as the world spun for a moment, but when he finally managed to get things to stay the right way up, he looked up to find that the bottle had stopped spinning, and was pointing straight at Al.

Scorpius gulped as he leaned forward again, now crawling across the circle towards his best friend. He couldn’t help noticing that Al seemed frozen in place, like deer caught in headlights. His lips were slightly parted -- oh those lips. They were beautiful, just like the rest of Al. Everything about Al was so beautiful. His shaggy black hair, and his soft, kissable lips, and those fierce, sparkling, green eyes…

Suddenly, Scorpius was staring directly into those green eyes, his own lips inches away from the ones that had been plaguing his daydreams for weeks now. There was a hoot from somewhere behind them, and Scorpius just went for it.

It wasn’t coordinated, or composed, or loving. It wasn’t any of the things kissing Rose had been. This was hot, and sloppy, and passionate. Al tasted of cheap beer and cinnamon spiced firewhisky, and it was everything Scorpius had ever dreamed of as his fist closed around a handful of Al’s wild black hair. He couldn’t remember why in Merlin’s name he hadn’t done this before. He was just about to pull back and ask Al, when suddenly, everything went black.

\-----------------------------

The first thing Albus noted when he woke up was that his head hurt. It was a dull kind of ache, but it felt like the worst thing in the world. The second thing he noted, was that he wasn’t alone. There was a warm lump sprawled across his legs, and he kept his eyes closed, not daring to look at who they were or what state they were in.

After another two minutes, however, he suddenly realised he was _really_ thirsty. He barely had time to process that thought before he started coughing violently. He sat up, trying to regain control of his lungs, dislodging the lump on his legs. The figure sat up suddenly, turning to look at Al with wide eyes.

 

Al forgot all about the coughing as he got swept up in those stormy grey eyes, and suddenly, the memories of last night came rushing back to him.

They had been playing Spin the Bottle, and when the bottle had pointed Scorpius in his direction, Scorpius had kissed him.

Scorpius had kissed him!

Wait. Scorpius had kissed him? That didn’t seem right. Scorpius had never shown any interest in him before. Why would he have been okay with it last night?

“My head is killing me,” Scorpius murmured, sprawling back down over the bed. Right. He had been drunk. Al tried to think back to that book, and the part about consent. It had explicitly said that people who were drunk _could not consent_. Oh Merlin. Scorpius had been at least 6 or 7 drinks in, and they had already done a few shots by then too. Now that Al thought about it, he’d even passed out right after the kiss; Michael had had to help Al carry him upstairs. He glanced about and saw that Michael was in his own bed, dead to the world. He pushed his annoying roommate out of his mind in favour of his thoughts about Scorpius. There had been a lot of pressure from their friends for Scorpius to play the game last night too. Al had been really excited at the prospect of kissing Scorpius, but he hadn’t once thought that maybe he should have put a stop to it, and stand up for his best friend. Scorpius can’t have actually wanted that.

“Do we have any hangover potion?” Scorpius groaned, pulling Al out of his thoughts.

“I don’t know. I’m sure I bought some, I just have no idea where I kept it. Let me take a look.”

He slid off the bed, padding slowly over to his trunk and finding the small vial of purple potion. He took a sip, coughing again at the chalky taste, before handing the vial to Scorpius. He then made his way into the bathroom, filling a glass with water from the sink and downing it in one. He refilled it, taking it out to Scorpius who was now sitting up and glaring at the potion.

“I hate hangover potion,” Scorpius grumbled, putting the now almost empty vial down on Al’s nightstand. Al handed him the glass, unsure whether he should say anything about last night. Did Scorpius even remember what had happened?

“That was a wild party,” Scorpius commented.

“Yeah,” Al replied, a nervous laugh bubbling up in his throat without permission.

“Did we really play spin the bottle?” Scorpius asked, sounding as nervous as Al felt. “Or did I just dream that?”

“Yeah, it happened,” Al said softly, not quite able to meet Scorpius’ eye. The guilt suddenly became too much to bear, and he jumped up, grabbing his towel from where he’d tossed it on a chair yesterday.

“I’m gonna… um… have a shower.” He didn’t wait for a reply before scampering into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

A few minutes later, he was relaxing under the warm water, and feeling marginally better.But then his thoughts drifted to Scorpius, with his soft lips, the way his warm hand had grabbed Al’s hair, and his beautiful, vulnerable eyes. Al groaned as the guilt came creeping back in once again. He really should talk to Scorpius, and apologise for last night, but the very thought made him sick.

Merlin, he really was a coward.

\------------------------------------

Scorpius couldn’t help glancing up at Al for what must have been the fifth time in as many minutes. Things had become a bit awkward again between them since his birthday. It had been almost two months, and Scorpius still stayed awake most nights remembering the soft feel of Al’s lips on his. Of course, the guilt from having kissed Al like that might also have something to do with the fact that he couldn’t sleep, but Scorpius was learning to push that out of his mind.

He felt terrible for the way he had just crawled up to Al, practically demanding a kiss and not giving him any way of getting out of it. When he did finally fall asleep, all he could dream about were those green eyes, blown wide and probably full of fear at what Scorp was doing. He couldn’t help worrying that he had pushed for something else afterwards; he had been so drunk that he couldn’t remember. Just the possibility that he could have taken advantage of his best friend like that made him feel sick.

He knew he should have spoken to Al about it, found out what had happened, and definitely apologized for his behaviour. But Al had seemed so jumpy the day after, almost as if he was scared to be alone with Scorpius.They’d barely spoken all day, and with every day that passed after that, the situation just became more and more awkward. At this point, Scorpius was sure he’d die of mortification from even bringing it up, let alone finding out what he must have done in the space where his memory was failing him.

He glanced up at Al again, but quickly looked away when he saw those green eyes staring back. Maybe it was best left alone for now.


	6. Potters aren't perfect

> Chapter 7: Every Body is Beautiful
> 
> _ People at all ages, from all walks of life, have had doubts at some point in their life about their appearance. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to the pressures exerted on them from society. They tend to internalize every comment and reaction they receive about their body, and unfortunately, what might seem like a harmless comment from a trusted adult can be taken as sharp criticism. This fear can be heightened when people are affected by medical issues that deviate from “the norm”, such as a mobility issue, or an illness. It is important to remind them as often as possible that there is no one perfect body type, and that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. The main focus should be on remaining healthy; making informed decisions about eating well, being active, and caring for your body can have an enormous impact on how good one feels in their own skin.  _

 

_ May 2023 _

 

He was so close. The cheering from the stands was as loud as ever, but Scorpius drowned it out as he raced Julia across the field. The new Hufflepuff seeker had been a challenge this year, with Scorpius barely being able to beat her in their previous game. The teams were tied for the cup and it all came down to who caught the snitch now. They only needed to win by 10 points.

 

He leaned forward on his broom, pulling into a sharp dive with Julia right behind him. He could see the snitch glittering near the grass, and was about to reach for it when it darted away again. Thinking fast, he rolled his broom forward instead of pulling up. Flying upside down, he zoomed towards the snitch, reaching out and snagging it as he righted his broom. He felt a sudden surge of pride and happiness- he had done it! He won the cup! The noise from the stands was deafening. He touched down, turning to find that Julia hadn't pulled out of her dive properly and had rolled onto the grass. She seemed uninjured, so he turned instead to find Albus running across to pitch towards him. He barely had a moment to brace himself before his best friend barreled into him, laughing and crying and pulling him into a tight hug.

 

"You idiot, you could have broken your neck!" Albus scolded, still holding a little too tightly onto Scorpius. "What would I have done if something happened to you? "

 

Scorpius laughed, pulling back from the hug. He looked at Albus, and something about the look in his eyes told him that Albus really had been worried for his safety. He remembered what Rose had said about those green eyes being darker than normal, more fierce. He suddenly remembered how Al had blushed when Scorpius had tried to guess which guy in school he liked. 

 

"Al, can I kiss you?" he asked softly. Al's eyes widened and Scorpius was drowning in a sea of emerald, before his best friend nodded shyly. As they leaned into each other, the awkwardness of the last 5 months melted away, and Scorpius felt like fireworks were going off in his brain. He wrapped his arm around Al's waist, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. As they pulled away a moment later, Scorpius realised that it was suddenly very quiet. He looked up to find the entire school staring at them, some with shocked expressions, others smiling happily. 

 

"Now that's what I call a victory," Scorpius grinned. He saw Rose standing nearby, and as soon as she caught his eye, she wolf whistled. Scorpius blushed, ducking his head to look back down at Al and the people in the immediate vicinity started laughing. The noise of the crowd soon picked up as everyone started heading back to castle, eager for dinner after the exciting match.

 

"So, back in January, that wasn't just me taking advantage of you?" Scorpius asked softly, still wrapped up in Al's arms.

 

"Oh Merlin, I thought I was the one who had pushed himself on you. To think, all this time we could have actually been together."

 

"Well, we're here now."

 

He couldn't see it with Al leaning into his chest, but he was sure his friend -- boyfriend? -- was smiling just as much as him.

 

\----------------------------------------------------

 

"So, um, how long have you two been dating?" Draco asked tentatively. He was having dinner with Harry and the boys at the Three Broomsticks after watching a spectacular (and terrifying) win by Scorpius. What had been even more of a shock, however, was seeing the two kiss each other after the game, right in the middle of the pitch. He hadn't realised that the two boys were together, and couldn't help feeling a little dejected. This was the second time Scorpius had started dating someone without telling him. He tried not think about the fact that it was also only the second time Scorpius had started dating someone.

 

"Since January," Al said, grinning at Scorpius who started choking on a sip of butterbeer. Draco pulled out his wand to help, but Scorpius had already tapped his own chest, clearing his windpipe. Draco felt a twinge in his chest at the thought that his son was an adult now. He didn't need Draco's help for magic anymore, and apparently he didn't feel the need to tell Draco about major developments in his life either. 

 

"Merlin Al, you'd been pining for the guy for almost a year. It took you until January to make a move?" Draco looked curiously at Harry, not fully understanding his comment. Albus had liked Scorpius for that long? And Harry knew about it?

 

"Wait, so last term when you said you liked someone, you meant me?" Scorpius asked incredulously. "And to think I could have been snogging you this whole time. So much for having those Gryffindor genetics kick in."

 

"What Gryffindor genetics?" Al scoffed. "It wasn't even me who initiated the kiss. Thank Merlin some random spark of courage hit Scorp here, otherwise who knows how much longer we would have spent dancing around each other."

 

Draco listened carefully, wanting all the details about his son's new (or not so new) relationship but not daring to pull his eyes up from his plate. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn't bear the thought of seeing the disinterest in his son's eyes. He felt Harry's hand squeeze his thigh under the table, but somehow it wasn't really comforting.

 

The rest of the dinner seemed to fly by, though Draco didn't pay much attention to the conversation as it shifted back towards Quidditch. He excused himself as the others enjoyed their dessert, offering to settle the bill. He was just waiting for the girl at the counter to finish with another client when Scorpius came up to him.

 

"Papa, what's wrong?" he asked.

 

"Nothing. Why should something be wrong?"

 

"You've been quiet all evening, and won't make eye contact with anyone. You haven't even scolded me for reckless flying."

 

Draco sighed, not wanting to admit he was upset. "You're an adult now. You can make your own decisions, including how to fly. There's not much I can do about it."

 

"You make it sound like there's a lot you want to do about it."  Draco was surprised to note that, for the first time in a while, he was hearing Scorpius get angry.

 

"What is it that you want me to change, huh? Want me to stop playing Quidditch? Or do you not like that I'm dating Al? Maybe you think it was indecorous of me to kiss him in front of everyone?"

 

"What? Scorpius, I don't want you to change at all."

 

"Are you sure about that? Because it seems that no matter what I do, or how hard I work, there's always something making you unhappy."

 

"Scorpius, where is all this coming from? Why are you getting so upset, and why do you think I'm unhappy?"

 

"You barely said five words through dinner! I just won the Quidditch cup! I got an O on my Potions essay yesterday! I was the only person in Defense who managed to cast a Patronus! I have so much to celebrate, and it's also just nice to be able to spend time with you, and with Harry and Al, and yet you just had to make it a miserable evening by pouting about Merlin knows what. I swear if you tell me you're still upset over losing Mum I'm going to lose it. Move on!"

 

"What does your mother have to do with anything?" Draco demanded. He knew he should be staying calm, but his son getting worked up was just upsetting him more.

 

"It seems like she has something to do with everything! I just want to move on with life, but no, you're too scared to start dating, and you're too scared to leave the house, and you're too scared to kiss your boyfriend, and-"

 

"Is that why you didn't tell me about you and Al?" Draco cut in, not wanting to hear Scorpius' screaming any more. "Is that why you kept your relationship a secret for  _ five months _ ? Because you think I'm scared of relationships?"

 

"I- what?" Now Scorpius just looked confused, and Draco could feel a giant headache coming on. He couldn't ever remember fighting with his son like this, yet suddenly they were going at it like feral cats in the middle of a pub. Frankly, it was embarrassing.

 

"Papa, we haven't been dating for five months. We haven't even been dating for five hours."

 

Now it was Draco's turn to be confused. "But, Al said since January..."

 

Scorpius' eyes widened a fraction before he burst out laughing, reaching out to lean on a nearby bar stool. Draco stared at him for a moment before turning towards the counter to pay the bill. If he knew his son, he'd explain himself as soon as he calmed down.

 

Sure enough, when Draco turned back, Scorpius was breathing normally again, though still grinning like a Cheshire cat.

 

"Papa, that was a joke. We got drunk on my birthday and kissed each other, and we've just been acting awkward about it for the past five months. I finally asked him to kiss me again after the game today, and when he said yes, it became clear that we do actually like each other. We haven't even discussed a first date yet."

 

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and taking a moment to compose himself. He'd been upset all evening over... practically nothing? His eyes flew open when he felt Scorpius' strong arms draw him in for a hug.

 

"I'm sorry I lost my temper just now, Papa. I guess emotions have been running high all day, what with winning the game and finally clearing things up with Al."

 

"It happens to the best of us," Draco sighed. "But Scorpius, please don't ever think I want you to change. You're an incredible young man, and I'm so grateful to have you. And I know I haven't had the greatest few years recently, but whatever problems I'm dealing with in life, it's not on you to fix them."

 

"I worry about you Papa."

 

"I know you do. I worry about you too. But just like I trust you to take care of yourself, most of the time at least, you need to trust me too."

 

They were quite for a moment, before Scorpius finally pulled away. 

 

"I guess Al and I should head back up to school," he said finally.

 

Draco nodded. At that moment, Al and Harry wandered up to them.

 

"All okay?" Al asked Scorpius, who simply nodded.

 

"Let's get going. Thanks for dinner Papa. Bye Harry."

 

Just as they were turning away, a thought struck Draco. 

 

"Scorpius!" The pair stopped and turned back. "Congratulations," Draco said. Glancing down at their linked hands, he smiled, and added "on everything." All the stress and worry of the evening seemed to melt away at Scorpius' relieved smile.

 

"Thanks Papa. Goodnight."

 

He watched the boys walk out of the pub before taking Harry's hand in his own.

 

"Are you okay?" Harry asked as they stepped out into the cool evening. "Seemed like you two were having an intense argument."

 

Draco nodded. "It's been a long time since we last fought like that."

 

"What happened?"

 

Draco chuckled. "Apparently Albus was joking when he said that they'd been dating for five months. I didn't pick up on that though, and it put me in an awful mood to think that Scorpius had hidden it from me for so long. Of course, Scorpius did pick up on my bad mood, and I guess with his own emotions running so high, he finally snapped back."

 

They walked on in silence for a bit before Draco spoke again. 

 

"He thought I wasn't proud of him, that I wanted him to be different. He said that no matter what he did, or how hard he worked, I was never happy. I know I haven't been the cheeriest person in recent years, but I hate that he somehow felt responsible for it. Like he had to fix things for me."

 

Harry nodded. "Sometimes I think I could forget that you're both father and son, and not brothers, the way he looks out for you all the time. If my kids worried half as much about me, they'd probably have gone back in time and defeated Voldemort before he even rose to power."

 

"That's a gross exaggeration," Draco pointed out.

 

"Not as much as you'd think, actually. You don't know the half of what that boy's tried to pull to help you out. I had to talk him out of dropping out of school a few years back."

 

Draco frowned. "Scorpius loves school."

 

"Not as much as he loves you. Back when you used to spend all your time at home, he thought maybe you could homeschool him, and that way he could be around to take care of you."

 

That stopped Draco dead in his tracks. Suddenly he turned around and started stomping back up to the castle. Harry ran after him, catching him after a few steps and pulling him close. He wasn't surprised to find that he was shaking in Harry's arms. His son was so worried that he had tried to drop out of school?

 

"It's okay, I talked him out of it. He went back, he's still there, and he's doing great," Harry whispered in his ear, holding him close. Draco turned in his arms, pressing his face into Harry's shoulder.

 

"He wanted to drop out of school. Merlin, I've been such a shit father."

 

"No you haven't. He wouldn't have been able to do it without your permission anyways, and you know you would never have let him."

"I guess you're right. Merlin, what would I do without you?"

 

"Since we're on the topic of Scorpius trying to take care of you, I guess now's as good a time as any to point out that we probably have him to thank for bringing us together too."

 

Draco stood up straight, pulling away from Harry a bit.

 

"What do you mean?" He already had a bad feeling about what he was going to hear.

 

"Well, when he was talking about dropping out, the only way I could get him to agree to go back was to promise that I'd check in on you every week, make sure you weren't alone all the time. That's why we started meeting up for lunch or coffee back then."

 

"I knew he had something to do with it!" Draco huffed. 

 

"Are you mad at him for that too?" Harry asked, pulling Draco close to him again. "Because personally, I'm really grateful to him for giving me the idea."

 

Draco smiled as Harry leaned in and kissed him lightly. He reached up and wrapped his hand around Harry's neck, pulling him in closer and deepening the kiss. It didn't take long for it to get heated, their hands wandering around under each others' coats.

 

"Do you want to come back to mine?" Harry gasped, finally coming up for air. Draco stared at him for a moment. He knew what the question implied. But Scorpius had been right. He needed to stop being so scared of moving on. And he was sure that Harry would never force him into doing anything he wasn't comfortable with.

 

"I'd love to," he breathed, and a moment later he found himself being apparated directly into Harry’s bedroom. He’d only ever been up here once, when he had visited Harry’s home for the first time and been given a tour of the place. It was beautifully decorated in tones of blue and brown, giving the room a calm, sleepy vibe. 

 

But Draco wasn’t feeling calm and sleepy. He felt hot and nervous as Harry undid the buttons to his shirt one by one, before pulling his own t-shirt over his head. As soon as they were both shirtless, Draco found himself being hauled in for another kiss. Harry’s chest felt warm and firm against his, covered in thick, dark hair. It was so unlike his own slender, hairless torso, and the feel of the two sliding together as Harry’s tongue explored his mouth made Draco moan in a way he hadn’t in years.

 

He stiffened when he felt Harry’s hands fumbling at the zip of his trousers. Perceptive as ever, Harry broke the kiss to look at him.

 

“Is this okay?” he asked worriedly. 

 

“It… yes. But, I’ve never um… I mean, with a man…” Draco cursed himself for fumbling over his words like that, but Harry seemed to understand.

 

“We can take it slow,” he offered. “I’ve done this a few times before, so I know what we’re doing.”

 

Draco nodded, and reached down to pull his trousers off. Standing in nothing but his pants, he reached toward Harry’s zip.

 

“When you say you’ve done this before,” Draco asked as he slid Harry’s jeans off. “Do you mean you’ve dated someone else since your divorce?”

 

Harry shook his head as he stepped out of his jeans and pulled Draco flush against him. Draco lost track of the conversation as he felt Harry’s thick length through the thin fabric. He groaned as Harry’s hips rolled forward minutely, before registering that Harry had just said something.

 

“Hmm, say that again?” he mumbled into Harry’s jaw. He felt Harry’s deep laugh rumbling in his chest as Harry repeated himself.

 

“I said, I’ve tried a few things at that gay club down on Beechwood road. We should go there one day, I think you’ll like it.” 

 

Harry walked them backwards toward the bed as he spoke, finally falling back onto the soft blue duvet, pulling Draco down with him.

 

“Draco, I want you to fuck me,” he breathed, hands caressing Draco’s arms. He scooted back towards the headboard, and Draco couldn’t help crawling after him like a moth drawn to a flame. He had just caught up to Harry when something clicked.

 

“Harry, did you say you had sex with men you met at the club?”

 

Harry shrugged as he reached towards the bedside table, pulling out one of those muggle plastic bottles of lube.

 

“It was just a couple of one night stands, and long before we started dating,” he grinned at Draco. “You’re still my one and only.”

 

“It’s not that,” Draco said, rolling his eyes at Harry’s cheesy line. “I just wanted to make sure, you have gotten yourself checked out since then, right?”

 

“Checked for what?” Harry asked, confused. That wasn’t a good omen.

 

“Um, for STIs. Sexually transmitted infections.” He blushed at having to explain it, but not as much as Harry did at having been asked.

 

“I, uh, haven’t, no. But I mean, is it really such a big deal? It really only was one or two guys, and they seemed really nice. And I haven’t felt sick or anything since then. I’m sure it’s totally fine. I mean, what are the odds, right?”

 

Draco considered him for a moment. He knew it was reckless, but he couldn’t help feeling like he could trust Harry. He stared into those deep green eyes and knew there was really no argument. Harry was right- what were the odds?

 

“Do you want to prepare me?” Harry asked, and the thought of putting his fingers into that beautiful arse sealed the deal. Draco nodded, reaching for the bottle as Harry turned over onto all fours. He leaned forward, pulling Harry’s pants off gently. He reached out and kneaded the soft globes for a moment. He finally pried them apart, leaned forward, taking in the furled pink skin winking under Draco’s gaze next to the -- wait a moment. Draco pulled back with a sigh, letting go of Harry’s cheeks.

 

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked, looked over his shoulder.

 

“Harry…” Draco hesitated, unsure how to proceed. “You need to go see a healer.”

 

“Draco, we just talked about this. There’s nothing to worry about--” 

 

“Harry, you have a wart. On your anus. It’s shiny, and round, and red. If I remember correctly from the things I’ve heard at the hospital, it’s called a condyloma.”

 

Harry stared at him for a moment, before hopping off the bed. He strode over to the full length mirror and turned so that it was reflecting his back. He reached behind him and pried his cheeks open, looking over his shoulder as if that would allow him to see his own anus.

 

“Harry,” Draco sighed, getting off the bed and joining him near the mirror. “It’s quite small, you won’t be able to see it like that.”

 

“I just, I can’t believe… how did this…” Harry seemed at a loss for words. He finally gave up on trying to see for himself and sat down on the carpet. Draco joined him.

 

“I feel like such an idiot.” Draco turned to find Harry’s knees pulled up to his chest, his face buried in his hands. He reached out and stroked soft circles on Harry’s back.

 

“You’re not an idiot, Harry. It’s just an infection, like getting a cold, or a stomach bug. You just have to go see a healer, they’ll help you out.”

 

“How embarrassing is that going to be? Walking into the hospital and showing my arse to a healer?”

 

“I assure you, its perfectly normal to them.” When Harry didn’t respond, Draco tried a different approach. “How about I come too? We can both get checked out.”

 

“Why would you need to come? You’re not the one who’s been sleeping around with half of London.”

 

“Hey, one or two people is not half of London. And you never know, there are infections that don’t have any symptoms for years. I could have something and probably never even know about it.”

 

Harry sighed. “I’m sorry. You’ve already had such a difficult evening, and then to top it off this happens, and interrupts the night. I just wanted to make you feel good.”

 

Draco couldn’t help smiling at that. “Harry, you always make me feel good. You’re so kind, and loving, and patient, and you see all the good things about me, even when I can’t see most of them myself. I always feel safe with you around. Trust me when I say I don’t need to have my cock up your arse to feel good.”

 

He was glad to see a small smile playing across Harry’s lips as well. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Harry spoke again.

 

“Um, it’s still pretty early. Do you maybe want to go see a movie or something?” he asked tentatively.

 

“I’d love to,” Draco said, glad that they weren’t just going to cut the night short. As they recovered their discarded clothes and got dressed, the silence became a little more comfortable. He felt a wave of relief at that fact that their relationship was actually strong enough to pick up from a failed fuck and continue on with a relatively normal night. This was definitely something worth moving on for.

 

____________

 

_ June 2023 _

 

“Hey, do you still have my notes on antidote preparation?” Scorpius asked absently, chewing on his quill. Albus nodded and handed them over. A moment later he noticed he was still staring and turned back to his Transfiguration practice.

 

“Is there something on my face?” Scorpius asked, ten minutes later. Al hadn’t even realised he was staring again. He shook his head quickly, turning his attention back to the muffin he was supposed to be transfiguring into a pocket watch. He’d gotten the casing right, but working mechanisms were a lot more complicated.

 

“I’m exhausted,” Scorpius whined, shoving his papers into a haphazard pile. He scooted closer to Al on the sofa, leaning his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Al did his best to stay relaxed, but even after two weeks, everytime Scorpius showed him any kind of affection it made his heart race. 

 

He didn’t lean into Scorpius though. He had learned in the last two weeks that Scorpius was very cuddly, but with exams less than two days away, he needed to focus. He put his wand down, picking up his notes instead.

 

“It’s late, let’s just call is a night,” Scorpius yawned. Al shook his head, still going over the steps to get the gears to align themselves. 

 

“You’ve become quite studious,” Scorpius pointed out, a few minutes later. “There was a time when it was you who had to drag me away from my books.”

 

Al sighed. There was no way he was going to get any focusing done if Scorpius kept interrupting him, but he had to keep going. He didn’t know how to tell Scorpius to just go to bed though. He tried soldiering on, but when Scorpius started to braid his admittedly long hair, he’d had enough.

 

“Scorp, leave me alone, I’m trying to study!” he snapped. Scorpius stood up, looking both shocked and hurt at his outburst.

 

“Fine. If you don’t want me around, I guess I’ll just go to bed.” Al reached for his hand, meaning to call him back and apologize, but Scorpius moved quickly, and before he knew it, his boyfriend was huffing up the stairs.

 

He spent a moment wondering if he should go after him, but the thought of finally having some time to himself to study was too tempting. It seemed that ever since the match, Scorpius wanted to spend all their free time together, and as much as Al loved him, it was getting to be a bit much, especially during the home stretch to exams. The thing was, Scorpius was impressively clever. He barely had to study at all to get O’s on all his exams. Unfortunately, that gave him a lot of free time to do other things, like dragging Al out to play quidditch, or dragging Al down to the kitchens to beg the elves for leftover pudding, or cuddling with Al by the lake, and Al had to admit, it was detracting from his much needed study time. 

 

Al kept reading late into the night, encouraged by the fact that he didn’t fight with Scorpius (was that even a fight? Was that their first fight as a couple?) for naught. By the time his eyes started to droop, he felt a lot more confident about their upcoming transfiguration exam. Stuffing his books back into his bag, he trooped up to their room, and collapsed into bed fully dressed.

 

When he woke up the next morning, he found his dorm empty- everyone must have already gone down to breakfast. He rolled over and went back to sleep again, thankful that it was a Saturday and he didn’t have to worry about making it to class.

 

Scorpius woke him up a few hours later, claiming they’d miss lunch if they didn’t hurry, and even half asleep, Al could tell he was still upset about the night before. 

 

“I’ll, um, see you in the Great Hall,” Scorpius mumbled. 

 

“Scorp, wait!” Al called, sitting up in his bed. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”

 

“It’s okay,” Scorpius shrugged, though Al could tell he was relieved. “Hey, wanna go flying after lunch?”

 

Al sighed. “I’d love to, Scorp, but I can’t. I really do need to study.”

 

“You can’t spend the whole day studying,” Scorpius argued. “You’ve got to take a break at some point.”

 

“Maybe, but flying is a bit too long of a break. I know you’re ready to pass all the exams with O’s on Monday, but I’m not nearly as clever as you, and I need to focus.”

 

Al got up and wandered over to his dresser, pulling out clean clothes. He was very aware of Scorpius frowning at him from the doorway.

 

“Al, I’m sure you’ll do great on the exams. You’re pretty intelligent too.”

 

“I’ll do great if I study, but unlike you, it doesn’t just come naturally.”

 

Scorpius opened his mouth again, but it seemed he had no way to respond to that. Finally he just nodded.

 

“I’m heading down for lunch, we can head to the library after if you want?”

 

Al suddenly felt bad for keeping Scorpius in with him. It had been beautiful weather lately, and if anyone was meant to be on a broom, it was Scorpius.

 

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind studying on the pitch, if you still want to fly?” Al suggested. He knew he had made the right call by the way Scorpius’ face lit up.

 

“That would be awesome, Al! Get dressed, I’ll see you down in the Great Hall!”

 

\---------------------------

 

Thirty minutes into studying on the pitch, Al was sorely regretting his decision. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of Scorpius as he dipped and looped around in the air. Scorpius’ Quidditch uniform was fairly fitting, and Al could see every powerful muscle in his torso and his arms, clearly defined. It didn’t help that Scorpius had the happiest look on his face. He wondered if Scorpius might actually pursue professional quidditch one day. It was a bit jarring to realise that he still didn’t know what Scorpius wanted to do after Hogwarts. Not that he did either, but someone like Scorpius had to have things figured out by now. Surely he had some impressive plan for his career in place, and Al just hadn’t gotten around to asking about it. With a sigh he tried to turn back to his notes.

 

After another twenty minutes, Scorpius landed right in the stands, coming over to sit next to Al.

 

“How’s it going?” Scorp asked. 

 

“Terrible,” Al groaned. “I keep getting distracted with other thoughts.”

 

“Like what?” Scorpius prodded.

 

“Like what’s going to happen after Hogwarts. I never did ask, what do you want to do after graduation?”

 

Scorpius shrugged, staring down at the broom in his hands.

 

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’ve been getting loads of advice from people about what I’d be good at, but none of it really seems to fit. I don’t want to be a professional quidditch player; they retire by the age of 30, and that sounds like a boring life. I don’t want to be rattling around in that manor like my father all my life. Papa said that maybe I should consider being an Auror, like your dad, but I don’t like the idea of spending my life fighting.”

 

Al snorted. “According to my dad and uncle Ron, it’s 90 percent paperwork. It always seemed so cool when I was a kid, but after having been to their office, I’m not exactly jealous of them.”

 

“Did you want to be an Auror?” Scorpius asked curiously. Al shrugged.

 

“It always seemed like what I was expected to do, but I’ve started realising that I’m never going be an exact copy of my dad, no matter how much I might look like him. Just because he’s popular, fit, and clever, doesn’t mean I will be too.”

 

“You’re fit too, and quite popular,” Scorpius pointed out. Al shook his head.

 

“Not like dad, or you. I’m not tall, or coordinated in any way. I still have the acne of a 12 year old, despite being 16. I’ll never have abs of steel, or a charming smile that makes people melt at my feet. Honestly, most days I wonder how someone like me could be dating someone like you.”

 

“Al,” Scorpius said, his frown growing. “You know you don’t have to be a supermodel for people to like you. That being said, I think you’re very attractive. You have the softest hair I’ve ever felt, and your eyes are mesmerising. You give strong hugs that make me feel like nothing can hurt me, and I don’t know what you mean about not having a charming smile. You don’t show it to a lot of people, but you have this one shy smile that makes my whole world stop when I see it.”

 

“You’re just saying all that,” Al mumbled, though he couldn’t help blushing at Scorpius’ praise. 

 

“You’re right,” Scorpius said thoughtfully. “Maybe I should just show you.” He leaned forward and captured Al’s mouth in a searing kiss. Al couldn’t help melting into it, his book sliding off his lap and under the bench. Scorpius pushed him back gently, climbing shamelessly into Al’s lap.

 

“So much… for… ah… studying!” Al managed to huff out between kisses.

 

“Fuck studying,” Scorpius growled. “You can just copy off of my paper.”

 

With an enormous display of willpower, Al pushed Scorpius off of him.

 

“No,” he said firmly, fishing about under the bench for his book. “I want to be someone who deserves you, who makes you proud. I’m going to do well on my exams, and I’m going to do it without cheating. You’ll just have to wait until after for your kisses and dates.”

 

Scorpius groaned, though when he glanced up, Al could see a small smile playing on his lips.

 

“For the record,” he said, picking up his broom and standing carefully. “This is why I really like you. Your integrity, and your honesty. You might be more like your dad than you think.”

 

Al couldn’t help staring as his boyfriend kicked off from the stands and zoomed off again across the pitch. With a smile of his own, he returned his attention to the different properties of a moonstone.

 

\-----------------------

 

“How did it go?” Draco asked, giving Harry a quick kiss as he stepped out of the floo. Harry had been nervous for his appointment at St. Mungo’s all week, and to calm his nerves Draco had decided to bring over dinner afterwards. He had offered to actually go with him, but Harry had insisted that he didn’t want that.

 

“Okay I guess. The healer gave me an ointment, told me to apply it every night before bed, and then I have to go back in a week.”

 

“That’s not so bad,” Draco said encouragingly, following him into the kitchen. He didn’t get much more than a grunt in response, but decided to let it go and started unpacking the food as Harry set the table. He was quiet through the whole meal, and Draco couldn’t help worrying that he was still upset.

 

“Harry, talk to me,” he said as they settled in the living room after dinner. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I… it’s going to sound silly, but I just feel like a bit of a flop after what happened last week.  I feel so gross. You must think I’m so… not sexy.”

 

“I don’t think you’re gross, Harry. And I don’t know if I’ll ever stop thinking that you’re sexy.”

 

“You don’t have to just say those things. I get it, I messed up.”

 

“I’m not just saying that. I mean it.”

 

Harry mumbled something unintelligible, but didn’t argue after that. They sat in silence for a moment, before Draco remembered something the healers had been talking about a few weeks back.

 

“Harry, is there a Muggle drugstore nearby?” He asked, sitting up suddenly. Harry nodded, a confused look on his face.

 

“What do you want from a Muggle drug store?” he asked curiously. Draco wasn’t paying attention to him anymore though, already walking over to the coat rack. He raised an eyebrow at Harry as he slipped his jacket on.

 

“Are you coming?”

 

5 minutes later they walked into the drug store where a surly young teen was chewing loudly on bubble gum behind the counter.

 

“Excuse me,” Draco asked politely. “Where can we find condoms and latex gloves?”

 

He had to fight not to smile at the sound of Harry spluttering behind him as the teen’s eyes widened. Finally she mumbled “aisle five” and they were off again. 

 

“Have you used these before?” Draco asked Harry as he picked up two different boxes of muggle condoms, not bothering to keep his voice down. “Medium and large. Do you know if you’re a medium or a large?”

 

“Merlin Draco, I don’t know!” Harry was red in the face, and Draco was enjoying his boyfriend’s embarrassment more and more.

 

“Oh look, there’s a chart on the back. Are you closer to 6 inches or 9?”

 

Harry’s mouth fell open, words apparently deserting him. A lady around their age glared as she walked back, and something about her prudish attitude made Draco want to be even more crass.

 

“Come on Harry, all guys have measured their dick before. How long are you? I’m guessing 7 or 8, but I only saw it for a bit last week.”

 

“Draco!” Harry spluttered, as the lady hurried out of the aisle. “‘M’a7,” he mumbled, glaring at Draco. “Are you quite done yet?”

 

“Of course not. We still need to find the gloves.” He marched off down the aisle, the box of medium sized condoms in hand. After getting derailed by Harry stopping to grab a couple of chocolate bars, Draco made another brief scene about what size gloves would fit him best and then they were back at the cash. Harry pulled a credit card out of his pocket, tapping it quickly on the machine without looking at the girl. Draco took the bag she offered him with a wide smile, and before they knew it, they were back in the safety of Harry’s living room.

 

“Go upstairs, strip, and get on the bed,” Draco instructed, looking through the bag. “And get your ointment out too.”

 

Harry gave him an odd look, before marching up the stairs, presumably to do what he was told. Draco sat down on the couch, collecting his thoughts for a minute, before summoning his courage and following Harry upstairs. He was greeted by the beautiful sight of Harry sitting back against his own pillows, every inch of his beautiful tan skin on display. 

 

He stepped closer, unbuttoning his shirt as he did so. By the time he had reached the bed, his shirt was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. He paid it no mind, however, as he dropped the drug store bag on the bedside table, reaching in and pulling out one of the condoms.

 

“Do you know how to use these?” he asked Harry, flipping the box over to read the tiny instructions on the back.

 

“Yeah,” Harry said eagerly, reaching for the little circle. Draco watched, mesmerised, as Harry unrolled it down his shaft, giving the dark red member a more pale look. It somehow made his penis look all dressed up, inviting Draco in, and at that moment he decided that they would definitely continue using these even after Harry’s treatment was finished.

 

Dragging his eyes away from Harry, he reached back into the bag, pulling out a pair of light blue gloves. He pulled them on slowly, making a show of snapping them around his wrist. Harry shuddered, his eyes blown wide with lust.

 

“Lay back against the pillows,” Draco instructed, grabbing the phial with the cream coloured ointment and climbing onto the bed between Harry’s legs. He reached out gently, bending Harry’s knees up to reveal his furrowed hole under his beautiful (and now mostly hard) penis. He ran a gentle hand along Harry’s bum, just an inch away from the crease. He continued to trail it lightly along his perineum, before circling Harry’s balls with his index finger and thumb. He smiled at the soft moan that escaped Harry’s lips.

 

“Draco…”

 

Something about hearing Harry moan  _ his _ name in bed spurred him on. He opened the phial, releasing the familiar scent of lemon balm. He dipped one slender finger in, before glancing up at Harry.

 

“Did they say to only apply this topically? Or can it go inside a bit?”

 

“The, um, healer said to push it in very little,” Harry said breathily. Nodding, Draco scooped a dollop of the ointment onto his finger, pressing it forward over Harry’s hole. He heard a gasp, presumably from the sudden feeling of the cold ointment in such an intimate place. 

 

Taking a deep breath, Draco leaned forward, and for the first time in his life, opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the gorgeous cock in front of him. It wasn’t a bad feeling at all. He sucked lightly at the head as his finger continued to circle Harry’s anus. He was rewarded with  a deep moan, and a slight shift in Harry’s body which indicated he was lying further back.

 

He pulled back off the head of Harry’s cock with a little pop, leaning even further forward and licking a long stripe up his shaft. It took a bit of precision since his hands were busy with the ointment and keeping him balanced, but Harry was already so hard that Draco had no problem mouthing at whichever part of him he wanted. He sucked the head back in between his lips, going a little deeper this time, and finally pushed the tip of his finger in.

 

Harry squirmed a bit at the feeling of the cold ointment, but his hips were soon pumping up towards Draco’s mouth. He shifted a bit so that he was able to place one hand on Harry’s hips, holding him still while he continued to play with his rim, and mouth at the head of his cock.

 

“Stop… being… such a… tease!” Harry gasped out, panting hard. Draco glanced up to see glossy green eyes blown wide, staring back down at him. Taking mercy on Harry, he pushed his finger in further, and moved his other hand to Harry’s shaft, giving long, firm strokes.

 

“Oh, yesss, Draco, oh! I’m gonna… I’m gonna…” Harry wasn’t able to finish his sentence before his whole body started shuddering. Draco kept stroking Harry through his orgasm, but pulled back and watched in fascination as the milky white come spread around in the latex sleeve. 

 

“That was… so hot!” Harry exclaimed, still panting hard. He moved to sit up, but Draco pushed him down again.

 

“Let me see you,” he said breathily, reaching down towards his own cock. He let his eyes rove over Harry’s body, taking in the toned chest and the strong arms. His eyes wandered down to curves of his round arse, showing just under his thighs, and imagined what it would be like to flip him over and fuck him into the mattress. It wasn’t long before he was coming in thick spurts all over Harry’s stomach. He leaned down to kiss Harry gently, before rolling over and laying next to him.

 

“I actually really like these things,” he said, reaching over and touching the condom. Harry reached down and pulled it off slowly. Draco took it from him, and couldn’t help pushing the come around in the sleeve for a moment.

 

“Stop being gross,” Harry laughed. “The bin is on your side of the bed.”

 

Draco reached over and dropped it into the bin, turning back just in time to see Harry vanish his come from his stomach. As much as he had liked the sight of himself all over Harry, he could think of something he’d like even more.

 

“Hello there,” Harry said curiously as Draco snuggled up to him.

 

“Hi sexy,” he replied, grinning up at Harry and enjoying the blush on his face. 

 

“You really think I’m sexy?” he asked shyly. Draco nodded against his chest. They laid there in silence for a few more minutes, Draco tracing patterns on Harry’s chest with his fingers before Harry spoke again.

 

“Thank you Draco.” He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Draco’s forehead. Draco’s hand finally stilled, coming to rest above Harry’s heart. At that point he realised that nothing more needed to be said. Basking in that comfort, he closed his eyes, and together they drifted off to sleep.

 

\-----------------------------------

 

_ July 2023 _

 

"Hello Albus," Draco said as his son's boyfriend tumbled out of the floo.

 

"Hi Mr. Malfoy," he said, looking around nervously.

 

"I don't bite Albus, and Scorpius should be down in a moment," Draco chuckled. "How has your summer been so far?"

 

"Pretty good. Lily and I got into a water fight last weekend, but in the end it was actually Dad who got soaked the most."

 

"Yes I heard about that. Something about a sneak attack while he was trying to relax in the sun."

 

Albus laughed. "Dad doesn't know the meaning of the word ‘relax.’ He would have gotten up and joined us within a few minutes anyway."

 

Draco had to concede the point as Scorpius ran into the room.

 

"Hey, sorry I'm late," he panted, giving Albus a peck on the cheek. Draco was interested to notice Albus blushing.

 

"Let's go up to my room," Scorpius continued, dragging Al towards the door. 

 

"Upstairs, huh?" Draco smirked at his son, who rolled his eyes.

 

"Get your mind out of the gutter Papa. We'll see you later."

 

\-------------------------

 

"Did your dad really think we're... you know?" Al asked, still blushing furiously as Scorpius flopped onto the sectional in his suite. He still hadn't gotten over his jealousy that Scorpius had his own living room. He had tried asking his dad for at least a love seat, but the only response he got was that he could get one with his own money when he got a job. 

 

"Probably," Scorpius shrugged. "We're 17, that's what everyone expects guys our age to be doing."

 

"Oh." Al joined Scorpius on the sofa, kicking his shoes off before folding his feet under him. "Do, er... do you expect us to be doing that too?"

 

Scorpius' eyes widened. "Um... no? Maybe? I don't know. We, uh, never talked about it, did we?"

 

Al shook his head. Personally, he was quite happy to keep going the way they had been. He liked their make-out sessions by the lake, or the way Scorpius sometimes fell asleep in Al's bed at school, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to do more. He knew Scorpius had done... well,  _ something _ with Rose, but he had never pushed to know exactly what, and part of him had been terrified that Scorpius would ask him to do the same things. He had been deliberately avoiding this conversation, but thanks to his Dad's boyfriend, it seemed he now had no choice.

 

"I, um, I don't think I really know enough to... well, I don't know,' Al fumbled. How was one supposed to talk about these things? It was awkward as hell. He could feel himself blushing furiously. 

 

"Uh, do you want to? I mean, like, should I, um, tell you about stuff? I haven't done much, but I think we could figure it out?"

 

"What do you mean you haven't done much? I thought you and Rose..."

 

Scorpius laughed. "I really made it seem like we were such adults, didn't I? We didn't do much more than touching. We used to, um, bathe together, sometimes. Naked."

 

"As opposed to bathing in your winter cloak?" Albus asked sarcastically. That just made Scorpius laugh more.

 

"You know what I meant, prat."

 

"Didn't you say your parents gave you the talk together? You don't think our dads will try to do that, do you?"

 

"Probably not. I've started doing it right back to Papa every time he does it to me, so I think we're safe. Or at least, I am."

 

Albus groaned. "I hope that book was as bad as it's going to get with my dad."

 

"Apparently the book doesn't have much about gay sex though. I think it was still considered pretty taboo back when it was published. But we're getting off topic here. We were supposed to be talking about what  _ we _ think is okay. For example, are we both okay with cuddling?"

 

"We already do that," Al pointed out. "Your bed's probably feeling neglected from how often you end up in mine."

 

"Yes, but I never asked if you're okay with it," Scorpius said.

 

Al sighed. This was promising to be a tedious conversation. "Yes Scorpius, I'm okay with cuddling."

 

"There's no need for that tone," Scorpius reprimanded. "What about without clothes?"

 

Al bit his lip, considering that. It wasn't that Scorpius hadn't ever seen him in a state of undress before- they shared a dorm, and had changed in front of each other many times. But it was one thing for him to have a brief glimpse of his body, and quite another for him to see and feel it all night. 

 

Al folded his arms, all too aware of the thin biceps that in no way compared to Scorpius' rock solid arms. "Um, I guess whatever you want," he mumbled.

 

"No, Albus, it's not  _ whatever I want.  _ Do  _ you _ think you'd be comfortable being naked together?"

 

Al's shoulders sagged as he realised the answer was no. What was wrong with him?

 

"It's not that I don't trust you..." he started, but Scorpius cut him off. He reached out an put an arm around Al's shoulder.

 

"Hey, it's not necessarily about trust. Sometimes you're just not ready, and that's okay."

 

Al nodded, leaning into Scorpius' touch. He sat back up after a moment, an unfamiliar scent assaulting his nose.

 

"Do you have a new soap?" he asked curiously. Scorpius smiled. 

 

"Yeah, Grandmother sent it to Papa for his birthday, but he's too used to his current soap, so I snagged it. Do you like it?"

 

Al nodded, settling back against Scorp's chest. It took him a moment to get comfortable against the firm chest, but at the same time he could feel himself getting turned on as well. He had just admitted to Scorp that he wasn't so sure about sex, and now his dick was showing interest. Clearly, something wasn't adding up here.

 

Albus couldn't help obsessing over his feelings as the evening continued. Why was it that his body so obviously wanted Scorpius, but his mind kept holding him back? 

 

The question was still on his mind as he thanked the Malfoys for dinner and headed home that evening. In fact, he was so distracted that he walked straight into his brother as he stepped out of the floo.

 

"Woah pip squeak, watch where you're going!" James laughed, reaching out to steady him. 

 

"What are you doing here?" Al frowned, as he brushed James away. He tried not to glare enviously at his brother's strong arms. 

 

"I came to see my family of course. Teddy took his grandma to visit her sister in France, so I figured I'd come stay with you guys for a couple of days."

 

"Great," Albus sighed, trying to push past his brother. Unfortunately, James wasn't having it.

 

"Hey, what's got your wand in a knot?" he asked, reaching out and grabbing Al's hand to stop him from leaving. Al tried to jerk his arm back, but of course, his brother was too strong.

 

"Let go of me," he growled, still trying in vain to free himself.

 

"No. What's bothering you?"

 

"You are!" Albus screamed, finally managing to free himself. He turned and stormed up the stairs, barely noticing that his dad was standing in the hall with a shocked look on his face. In hindsight, he should have expected the knock that sounded on his door 2 minutes later.

 

"Al, are you okay?" Harry asked, opening the door a crack.

 

"Go away," Al groaned, knowing that wouldn't stop his dad at all. Predictably enough, the door opened even more, and even though he was lying with his face buried in his pillow, Al could tell the exact moment his dad decided to sit next to him from the dip in the mattress.

 

"Did something happen with Scorpius?" he tried again. Al sat up and glared at his father.

 

"No, nothing's wrong with Scorpius. Nothing's ever wrong with him. He's always abso-fucking-lutely perfect. He's never the one with a problem."

 

"Then what's upsetting you so much?"

 

"It's not important," Al grumbled. 

 

"Hey," Harry said firmly. "Your issues  _ are _ important."

 

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I have to tell you about them," Al said rudely. He felt a petty kind of satisfaction at the shocked look on his dad's face. 

 

"Okay," Harry sighed, pushing himself off the bed, his fists balled up at his side. The gesture brought his forearms to Al's attention, and he could feel his mood souring even more at the sight of yet another person in his life who was more fit than him. Merlin, what was with him and noticing everyone's arms all of a sudden?

 

"If you change your mind and want to talk, you know where to find me," Harry said, opening the door again. "Oh, and your mum is coming to stay tomorrow night too, try not to give her a hard time as well."

 

Was that what Al had become to his dad? Someone who gives people a hard time? He felt guilt creeping into his chest as he realised there really hadn't been any need to lose his temper on anyone tonight. It was  _ his own  _ fault that he didn't work out. Clearly, that had to change.

 

With his dad at work, his brother at training, and Lily visiting a friend, Al had the house to himself the next day. He spent the morning thinking about ways he could start training, and building his body up. He hadn't the faintest idea where to start. His first thought was to ask Scorpius- he asked his boyfriend for help with everything he wasn't sure about. But something was holding him back. He didn't want Scorpius to try and tell him that he didn't need to work out, or to look at him pityingly. He would surprise him, he decided. Get fit all on his own.

 

Making up his mind, Al made his way down to the basement, where his dad had built a personal gym with a few exercise machines and a collection of weights in front of a mirrored wall. He decided to start small- it wouldn't do to injure himself and have everyone find out what he was planning. He picked up the two 5 lb dumbbells, one in each hand.

 

"These aren't so heavy," he thought happily. He carried them over to the mirror, standing in front of it. He lifted the weights simultaneously up to his chest, before letting his arms fall back down to his thighs. He did it again and again, feeling quite pleased with himself. He was just starting to feel a bit of strain on his arm when he decided maybe he should take a break. He put the dumbbells down on the mat, and turned around and screamed.

 

"Mum! How long have you been standing there?" he demanded. She continued to lean against the door frame, smirking at him.

 

"Long enough to know that you're going to hurt yourself if you keep trying to weight train like that."

 

Al glanced at the dumbbells, letting his shoulders sag. He had no idea what he could do differently, but if his mum was right about him hurting himself, he couldn't risk continuing.

 

"Didn't you ask your dad, or your brother for tips?" she continued. Al shook his head.

 

"I... kinda lost my temper at them last night. And anyway, I don't want them to know about this."

 

Ginny frowned. "Why not? I'm sure they would have been happy to help you out."

 

Al glared at her for a moment, before remembering what his dad had said last night.  _ Try not to give your mum a hard time. _

 

"Or I could show you a few things," she suggested. Suddenly, he wasn't sure why he hadn't just thought to ask her in the first place. He didn't see his mum a lot, but he trusted her. And she had been an athlete all her life too. Even now, with a prosthetic leg, she ran entire marathons each year. 

 

"I'd like that," he admitted. He couldn't help grinning back at the wide smile on her face.

 

"Well, first of all, you can't work out in jeans and bare feet. Go get some proper workout clothes on, and your running shoes. We're going for a run."

 

Al glanced back at the dumbbells; he wanted to build muscles and he wasn't sure how running would help that. He didn't argue though, trooping upstairs to change into shorts and grab his running shoes. Ten minutes later, they were jogging down the neighbourhood running trail. Al had initially scoffed at the sedate pace, but now he was breathing hard, and it was taking a fair amount of effort to keep up with his mum. They continued along the trail, before it finally looped around and brought them back to the house. Al was about to flop down on a chair in the kitchen, before his mother barked, "No. Downstairs."

 

Still panting, he followed her back down to the basement. She accioed 2 glasses of water, handing one to him.

 

"Don't sit down immediately after a run. Keep walking for a bit to cool down, or at least stay standing."

 

He noticed her walking in place, and copied her, gulping his water down in the meantime. After a few minutes, he could finally feel his heart rate slowing down a bit. 

 

"So, what are you aiming for here?" she asked, her arms stretched above her head. "What are your goals?"

 

"Um, I guess I want to be fit?" he tried. He wasn't sure what exactly she was asking.

 

"That's really subjective Al. What does fit mean to you?"

 

He thought of his dad, and his brother, and his boyfriend. He thought about how much he wanted to have muscular forearms like them. He thought about his soft torso, and how he wished his abs were firm like Scorpius'.  He must have been quiet for a long minute, because his mum asked again.

 

"Al, I need to know what your goals are to be able to help you. If you're trying to build endurance, it's not going to help if we focus on balance. If you want to build muscle, aerobic exercise isn't going to get us very far."

 

"Yeah, that last one. I want to build muscle."

 

"You're aware that it's not going to be an overnight thing, right? I can show you what to do, but I'm leaving for the World Cup next week so you'll have to be disciplined about training regularly on your own. Including when you go back to school."

 

"I will," Al confirmed. "Show me what to do and I'll do it."

 

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the basement, with Ginny showing Al different stretches and exercises, correcting his form and explaining the benefit of each movement. He was exhausted by the end of it, but he felt much more confident about exercising on his own now. He had also been relieved to learn that there were a lot of things he could do without the machines, which meant he'd be able to continue training at Hogwarts too. 

 

"Since you don't want your dad to know about this, I'd suggest you get upstairs and shower before he gets home from work," she said finally, checking her watch. Checking his own, he realised he barely had half an hour before his dad returned.

 

Al spent a longer time than usual in the shower, the hot water felt good on his now sore muscles. He stepped out of the bathroom to the sound of his parents chatting downstairs. He didn't pay it much mind, until he heard his own name.

 

"Where's Al?" came his dad's voice. 

 

"In the shower," his mum replied casually.

 

"Really? That's odd... he usually showers in the mornings."

 

"Give the kid a break, Harry, he's turning 17 this weekend. He can shower when he wants."

 

That was right. Al had almost forgotten that it was going to be his birthday in a couple of days. Grandma was planning a huge bash for him, and many of his friends (and pretty much the entire family) were going to be there. It was weird to think that he was about to become an adult. 

 

"Merlin don't remind me of how old I'm getting... it's just, I worry about him. Something was upsetting him last night when he got home from spending the afternoon with Scorpius. But I spoke to Draco today, and he said nothing seemed amiss between the boys."

 

Al tuned the conversation out at that point. He knew his mum would be on his case soon enough, but another part of his dad's response was bothering him. He had been born a week before his dad's 24th birthday. While Al loved his grandma's big parties, his father was very quiet about his birthday, always opting for a quiet dinner with Mum, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, and all their kids. But Al hadn't heard anything about that this year. It suddenly struck him that his mum and brother wouldn't even be here -- they would be in Prague for the World Cup.

 

Still pondering this mystery, he got dressed and made his way downstairs. James had also arrived by then and was chatting happily with their parents in the hall.

 

"I'd better get started on supper," his dad said as he walked into the room. "Oh, hey Al."

 

"Hey Dad. What are you gonna make?"

 

"Anyone want anything in particular?" he asked the room at large. Everyone shrugged, and rolling his eyes, Harry marched into the kitchen. They were soon treated to his off key singing as he did whatever he usually did in the kitchen.

 

"Speaking of dinner," Al said, turning to the others. "Have either of you heard of any plans for Dad's usual birthday dinner this year? Is he still meeting Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione?"

 

His mum and brother exchanged a look that Al didn't like.

 

"What?" he asked, hating that he was being left out of something.

 

"I... um, let me talk to Ron and Hermione," his mum said. "They might be planning something with him, but I haven't, um, heard of anything."

 

Al frowned. It wasn't like his mum to stutter. At that moment however, Lily stepped through the fireplace with her friend Alice, who she had invited over for dinner. The house was soon filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation as Lily and her friend recounted their adventure looking for creatures in the woods behind Alice's house, and their experiments with hair potions, and Al almost forgot about his mum and brother acting weird.

 

He was reminded, however, late at night, when he had thought everyone was asleep. He'd been sneaking downstairs for some water, irritated that there were still 2 days left before he could just cast an aguamenti into his cup and not have to leave the warmth of his bed. He'd been expecting the dark silence of the house at night, but had instead found the sound of his parents arguing. He knew he should have alerted them to his presence, or at least turned around and gone back to bed, but part of him couldn't help listening to what they were saying.

 

"Harry James Potter, how dare you suggest I don't care about my own children?" came his mother's shrill voice.

 

"I'm trying to keep them safe! You know I'm making the right decision here!" his father argued back.

 

"No you're not! I don't care how old it makes you feel to have to admit it, Albus is no longer a child!" 

 

Al settled himself more comfortably, surprised to find himself the topic of their conversation again, and all thoughts of water gone from his mind.

 

"He's still  _ our _ child Ginny! It's our responsibility to take care of him!"

 

"When he needs us, yes. But this isn't one of those times."

 

"Our children always need us Ginny! I can't... I can't fail him, the way I did with James. I can't lose him the way we lost James..." 

 

Al sighed as he heard his father's voice crack. He hadn't realized his dad still felt guilty about kicking James out, despite the fact that they had long since made up, and that leaving had actually been really good for his brother. 

 

"Harry, you haven't lost James. He had to grow up, the same way Albus does."

 

"This affects Lily too, you know!" his father shot back, his voice now back to full force. Albus tensed up at that, a feeling of protectiveness surging up in him at the thought that something might hurt his sister.

 

"Merlin fine! I don't agree with your decision one bit, and you have no right blaming it on our daughter! But I'm not going to argue anymore."

 

"Thank you," his dad said, his voice sounding smug.

 

"But  _ you're _ the one who has to tell Al. And not at the last minute. Merlin Harry, you need to trust him!"

 

"I do trust him!" Harry cried.

 

"Then prove it!" Ginny shot back. Al scrambled to get up and make his way quietly back to his room at the sound of his mother's footsteps approaching. He laid back down on his bed, pondering the conversation -- argument? -- he had just overheard. What decisions had his dad made on his and Lily's behalf? And why hadn't Albus been told about it? He wondered if it had something to do with the look his mum had shared with James that afternoon. But that had just been him asking about Dad's birthday dinner. He couldn’t see how the two might be related. 

 

And how was this going to affect Lily? The poor girl had already dealt with so much tension in this family. He really didn't want any more problems for her.

 

He was still pondering these questions as he drifted off into an uneasy sleep. He hoped things would make more sense soon enough.


	7. Happy Birthday

 

> Chapter 8: The Trials of Trust
> 
> _Trust is such an important part of life. Whether it's trusting your partner in an intimate moment, trusting a peer to contribute equally to a project, or even trusting your children, as a parent. Many parents struggle with trusting their children to make their own choices, from things as simple as what to eat for dinner, to something that can seem as monumental as when they first decide to have sex. It's completely natural to want to take care of our loved ones; we're only human after all. But being over-protective and over-controlling can often have negative effects on a person's self esteem, and in drastic situations can even push them away. Children do grow up, and will soon become adults in their own right; even you did it once, dear reader.This chapter explores the dynamics of trust, why it's important, and how to deal with the fear that comes from trusting someone more than you usually would._

 

_July 2023_

 

Al's 17th birthday had been incredible. The Burrow had been packed to bursting, but with the nice weather, grandpa had decided to conjure an enormous patio set out in the field so that everyone could have dinner together. Of course, with a crowd of guests came a multitude of presents. Scorpius had bought him the entire first edition _Wizarding Warlock_ series. They had been Al's favourite books all throughout school and being so old, the first edition was an incredible collectible at this point. His mum had given him his own set of dumbbells to take to school in the fall, though thankfully that gift had been received in private that morning. His grandmother had made him a new set of dress robes, and his brother and Teddy had pitched in to get him the newest Firebolt.

 

But the gift he had loved most of all was the traditional watch, which he had received from his dad. His eyes widened as he lifted the platinum Rolex out of it's box. He'd had to endure a full five minutes of his grandfather exclaiming that Rolex was one of the biggest wizarding companies that also catered to Muggles, but everyone had looked suitably impressed when he slipped the expensive piece onto his wrist. It was heavier than anything he had ever worn, but it looked so solid and important, sitting there on his wrist. He took it off again, gently placing it back into the padded box. He knew if he continued wearing it all night he would definitely break it.

 

"Thanks, Dad," he said, putting the box down carefully and walking over to give his old man a hug.

 

"There's an inscription on the back," his dad whispered, pulling him close. "But you can take a look later. Happy Birthday, Albus."

 

Al moved back towards where he had placed the box, curious to see what the inscription was, but at that moment his grandma walked out into the field, levitating a giant cake in front of her. All thoughts of presents left everyone's minds as they dug into Molly's famous fudge cake. Al couldn't help laughing at Scorpius, who polished off his own slice _and_ the remaining half of his father's, before going back for seconds.

 

All in all, it was turning out to be a pretty perfect evening. So of course things had to go sour by the end of it.

 

The guests had mostly left, each laden with boxes upon boxes of leftovers, and the Potter-Weasley-Granger cousins (and Scorpius) had all helped grandma and grandpa clean the majority of the Burrow. Lily and Hugo had even promised to come back the next day to help out with the gargantuan pile of dishes, and soon everyone was gathering in front of the floo, ready to head home.

 

"Have a good night dear," his grandma said happily as she pulled him into a tight hug. "I can't wait to have you and your sister over again next weekend."

 

"Oh, are we coming next weekend too?" he asked curiously, wondering if maybe his grandma was planning something for Dad's birthday.

 

"Of course, you're both coming to stay for the weekend, silly. Did you forget?"

 

"Actually, _someone_ has yet to tell them," came his mother's voice. He turned to find her glaring at his father, who was looking a little embarrassed.

 

"Tell me what?" Al demanded.

 

"Why don't we discuss this at home?" His dad suggested, trying to move toward the floo.

 

"No. Why are we staying with Grandma next weekend?"

 

He saw his dad glance at his mum, who apparently gave him no sympathy. He was glad to at least have her on his side.

 

"Um, Draco is taking me to the World Cup opening match for my birthday," his Dad finally mumbled. "So you can both come to stay with your Grandma for the weekend."

 

"Dad, you do realise I'm an adult now? We don't need to stay with Grandma, we'll be fine at home."

 

"It's not safe," his dad argued.

 

"Not safe? Dad, we stay home alone while you're at work every day. It's just for a weekend, it's not like you're going away forever."

 

"I don't think it's a good idea. No, it's best that you just stay here with your grandparents."

 

"Wait," Albus suddenly thought of something. He turned to his boyfriend, who was watching the whole exchange worriedly.

 

"Where are you staying for the weekend?" he asked.

 

"Umm, at home," Scorpius said sheepishly.

 

"So it's not me who's going crazy in thinking that 17 is a reasonable age to be able to stay home alone. Your dad trusts you to do it, and funny enough, my dad trusted James and Teddy to both _move out_ at 17.  But I can't keep myself and my 14-year-old sister alive for _three days_?" He rounded on his dad, who didn't look happy with the way this conversation was going at all.

 

"What is it about me that you can't trust, huh? Is it the fact that I'm not top of my class? Or is the problem that I'm not the most popular guy in school? Maybe it's the fact that I'm not a star athlete? What is it, Dad? Why do you trust them, but not me?"

 

"Al, I do trust you-"

 

"Well you have a funny way of showing it! Did you miss the point of this enormous party Grandma just hosted? I'm 17. I'm an adult. Look!" He pulled out his wand and summoned a napkin from the table.

 

"Believe it or not, I'm not going to get a Ministry warning for that! I can do magic, and contrary to popular belief, I'm pretty fucking good at it!"

 

"Al, you have to consider your sister too!" His dad cried, his voice rising.

 

"I WOULD DIE!" Al roared, his blood boiling at the thought that his own father didn't think he could take care of his sister. "I would die before I would ever let _anything_ happen to Lily! And the fact that you don't know that is _insulting!_ You claim to love us, but if that wasn't obvious to you, you don't know us at all!"

 

Before his dad could respond again, he stormed angrily over to the floo. He noticed the Rolex box on the mantle, and without really knowing what had overcome him, he picked it up and flung it at his dad. He knew he'd regret damaging the expensive gift later, but right now, he couldn't be bothered by the potential consequences of his actions, or the shocked looks on everyone's faces as the flames spun him away.

 

Once he reached his own home, he stormed up the stairs, slamming his door closed and flinging a locking charm at it before collapsing on his bed. He buried his face in his pillow, a mess of emotions surging through him. Why was he never good enough for any of them?

 

“Albus?” came his father’s voice from the other side of the door. Al ignored him, hoping he’d just go away, but a moment later he heard a whispered _Alohomora,_ and the door opened.

 

“Get out,” he growled, sitting up and glaring at his father. He knew he must look like a fright, his face red and wet with tears, his hair sticking up at all angles.

 

“Al, I do trust yo-” his dad was cut off with a yelp as he narrowly dodged a stinging hex. It was quickly followed by another, which hit its mark on his thigh.

 

“I said, get out!” Al screamed, standing up and raising his wand again. His dad didn’t leave though, choosing to stand his ground. _Idiot,_ Al thought, as he sent another hex flying towards the door. His dad was fast though, pulling out his own wand and blocking it. That only made Al angrier, and soon they were duelling in the upstairs landing, Al sending hex after jinx after curse towards his dad, with Harry just barely dodging them all.

 

“Tantallegra! Stupefy! Petrificus totalus!”

 

“Expelliarmus!” his Dad tried, but Al was ready for it. He blocked it easily, before retaliating again.

 

“Sectumsempr-”

 

“PROTEGO!” roared a third voice. A thick shield popped up between the two of them, causing the deflected curse to slash through the wallpaper at the end of the hall. He turned to find Mr. Malfoy standing between them wand drawn to maintain the shield spell, with Scorpius behind him on the top step.

 

“ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER!” he heard his mum screech as she stomped up the stairs. She pushed roughly past Scorpius, coming face to face with Al, who finally lowered his wand.

 

“How _dare_ you use a Dark curse against your father?” she demanded. “That curse could have _killed him._ ”

 

Al gulped as he realised what he had been about to do. If Mr. Malfoy hadn’t cast that shield spell, his dad might have…

 

“Ginny, Al-” His mother rounded on his Dad instantly, drawing her own wand and pressing it to his neck.

 

“I _told you_ that it was a stupid idea! I _told you_ that you should trust him! But nooo, Harry-fucking-Potter is always right, isn’t he?”

 

“Mum-”

 

“Shut up! Both of you!”

 

She rounded on the Malfoys, who both had the good sense to take a step back.

 

“You two! Get your dumbass boyfriends out of my sight before I murder them myself!”

 

Not needing to be told twice, Scorpius grabbed Al’s arm and dragged him into his room. He heard a sob from his mum as the door closed with a sharp _click_ , and was reaching for the handle again when Scorpius stopped him.

 

“Scorp, I can’t leave her. She’s my mum!”

 

“Lily and James were right behind us, they’ll take care of her. I’m more worried about you. What happened?”

 

Al looked at his boyfriend’s worried face, and took a few deep breaths, trying to think clearly. All he could hear was his mum’s voice, playing over and over in his head: _That curse could have killed him._

 

“What is wrong with me?” Al whimpered, falling to his knees. Scorpius joined him not a moment later, holding him close and rubbing circles on his back.

 

“Scorp, I almost killed my dad! I almost sliced him open! What the fuck is wrong with me?”

 

“Hey, he’s okay, and you are too. That’s the important thing to focus on.”

 

“I shouldn’t have started duelling him,” Al sobbed, pressing his face into Scorpius’ shoulder. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper on him!”

 

“What’s done is done, there’s no point worrying about it now. Just focus on the fact that you’re both okay, you’re both safe.” Scorpius kept murmuring soothing words, rubbing his back all the while. Al continued to sob into his shoulder, finally calming down a bit after what felt like ages.

 

“No wonder he doesn’t trust me to stay home,” Al whispered sadly. “I’m still acting like a kid, picking fights every time I get mad.”

 

He was glad that Scorpius didn’t say anything. He felt like he needed the quiet to be able to gather and express his thoughts.

 

“Sometimes I wish I knew how I could prove to him that I’m not his little boy anymore. That he can trust me to take care of him as much as I trust him to take care of me. Do you know…” he trailed off, not sure how to admit to what he wanted to say.

 

“I was eavesdropping on my parents the other night. I didn’t mean to, but they were talking about me. He said something about not wanting to lose me the way he lost James, and that sounded so scary, I thought I didn’t want that either.”

 

“I don’t know what that means though. James still talks to dad, and visits all the time. The only thing that changed was that James moved out. What do I do, Scorp? If I move out one day, is he gonna think I’m not there for him anymore?”

 

“I don’t think so,” Scorp said after a moment. “I think you guys need to communicate more. That’s the huge difference that I noticed between you guys and Papa and I. You barely talk to anyone -- not me, not your dad -- we’re always kind of guessing what’s going through your mind. Part of me thinks that you think no one trusts you because you don’t trust them.”

 

Al bit his lip. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them. He always felt so useless compared to them. He knew they could probably fix all his problems, but part of him really wanted to try fixing them himself. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to say that to Scorpius though.

 

“Come on, let’s get off this hard floor,” Scorpius said. He guided Al up towards the bed, pulling the soft knitted blanket his grandma had made for him years ago over their entwined bodies.

 

“Thanks for always being there for me Scorp,” Al said finally. “It means a lot.”

 

“Always Al.” He soon heard Scorpius’ breathing even out, but Al’s mind was still spinning. How could he show his boyfriend and his Dad that he trusted them, without making a fool of himself?

 

He fell asleep with the question on his mind, hoping the answer would come to him soon.

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

“Harry, what happened?” Draco asked urgently as he sat a shaking Harry down on the bed. “Why were you duelling with Albus?”

 

“I don’t know,” he stuttered. “I just wanted to talk to him, but he was so angry. He hates me Draco. I’m losing him, the same way I lost James.”

 

“Harry, you haven’t lost James. And I highly doubt you’re losing Albus. He loves you so much.”

 

“Enough to cast sectumsempra at me?” Harry squeaked, his eyes watering.

 

Draco frowned. “I don’t think he realised what he was casting until after the fact. You might remember that teenage boys tend to cast curses without thinking sometimes.”

 

Harry’s face went pale, and Draco suddenly felt terribly guilty for reminding him of the incident in 6th year.

 

“I’m sorry,” Harry choked out, tears pouring down his face. “I’m so sorry, Draco, I still can’t-”

 

Draco shushed him, rubbing a comforting hand over Harry’s back. “That’s not important right now. Tell me what happened.”

 

“I heard his door slam as soon as I stepped out of the floo, so I came up here, looking to talk to him. I tried calling him through the door, but when he didn’t respond I unlocked the door and next thing I knew he hit me with a stinging hex.”

 

“And well deserved too,” came Ginny’s voice from the doorway. Draco looked up at her in surprise.

 

“What do you mean?” Harry croaked out from beside him.

 

“Harry, you opened the door without him even acknowledging your presence. He didn’t give you permission to come into his room. You have to respect his space.”

 

“It’s a room Ginny. In my house, I might add.”

 

“It doesn’t matter. It’s been designated as _his_ safe space, and if he doesn’t want someone to come into it, he should be allowed to deny them entry.”

 

“You make it sound like I’m some kind of burglar. I just wanted to talk to him!”

 

“But he didn’t want to talk to you. He was angry, but instead of starting a duel back in mum’s kitchen, he made the decision to walk away, and come to his room to cool down. You shouldn’t have followed him and provoked him.”

 

“I don’t see how I provoked him. He’s the one who threw a stinging hex at me!”

 

“Harry,” Draco cut in. “What would you do if someone you didn’t like tried to walk in your front door uninvited? You’d probably threaten them, right?”

 

Harry was silent, so he continued.

 

“Al’s room here is like his own house. The expectation is that when he closes and locks his door, people will stay out until he decides he wants them to come in. If you had reason to believe his life was in danger, I might agree with your decision, but in this case, Ginerva’s right. He went to his room and locked everyone out because he wanted time alone to calm down. You denied him that space to cope with his emotions by unlocking that door. No wonder he lashed out.”

 

Harry seemed to be thinking this over.

  


"But what if he always does that? What if he just keeps locking his door and never talks to me again?"

 

"Merlin Harry, you said you trust him. That also involves trusting your relationship with him. Let him make the decision about when he's ready to talk to you. I know you want to fix everyone's problems all the time, but sometimes you have to let him learn to deal with life by himself."

 

"Harry, if you can't let him have his own space here..." Draco hesitated, knowing what it was that was scaring Harry so much. "It's going to push him to go find his own space somewhere else. You're not going to lose him by trusting him to take care of himself. You're going to lose him if you keep pushing him to want to prove that he can."

 

"I just... I hate the fact that he doesn't need me anymore."

 

"Of course he needs you, Harry," Ginevra sighed. "It was the same thing for me. Mum kept trying to baby me during my 6th year. You and Ron had run off on that blasted horcrux hunt, and she was so scared that I would grow up and leave to fight as well. It got to the point where I was tempted to come find you guys, just to get away from her. I knew I couldn't leave until I was 17, and then the battle of Hogwarts happened and it was no longer necessary, but I swore to myself that I'd never do that to my own kids. I guess I just forgot to share the memo with you."

 

"I still don't see how it's a bad thing to have your parents taking care of you," he grumbled.

 

"Because you never got that," she sighed. "After growing up an orphan, with abusive relatives, you craved having someone take care of you, which is why you loved having mum doting on you like a five year old after the war. But Al grew up in a loving household where he was supported and cared for, where little mistakes were guided, not punished, and where he had the safety to learn from-"

 

She kept talking, but Draco wasn't really listening anymore. Had she just said that Harry had grown up with abusive relatives? Harry had mentioned before that he hadn't gotten along with the Muggles, but this was a whole new level.

 

“Am I understood?” Ginevra’s forcefulness pulled him back out of his thoughts in time to see Harry nodding meekly. He had no idea what Harry had just agreed to, but something told him that whatever it was, Ginevra was right.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna crash here tonight if you don’t mind,” she yawned. “This whole day has been exhausting.”

“Yeah, you’re always welcome,” Harry said softly. She nodded, bidding them both goodnight before marching out of the room.

 

“Are you staying too?” he asked Draco.

 

“I may as well. I’m sure Scorpius will want to stay with Albus tonight too.”

 

Harry nodded, flopping backwards onto the bed. “Guess it’s gonna be a full house tonight.”

 

Draco didn’t have the energy to change into pyjamas, and he was sure Harry must be feeling the same way. So he toed off his shoes, taking Harry’s off as well, before climbing into the bed next to Harry, who promptly snuggled up to him. With a waved of his wand, Draco extinguished the lights as well.

 

“Hey. You doing okay?” Draco whispered, pulling the duvet up over them.

 

“I think so,” Harry sighed.

 

“I may have zoned out for a bit there. Want to fill me in on what Ginerva just got you to agree to?”

 

“She wants me to be patient with Al. I promised I would act normal, and try not to force him into talking to me over the next few days, no matter how much I might want to.”

 

Draco nodded into the darkness, forgetting for a moment that Harry couldn’t quite see it.

 

“Why did you zone out?” Harry asked. Draco considered his response carefully, finally saying: “I never knew your Muggle relatives abused you.”

 

Harry stilled, and Draco was terrified he had said something wrong.

 

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Maybe another time?”

 

“Of course,” Draco whispered, kissing the mop of hair tickling his chin. He was rewarded with the feeling of Harry relaxing against him once again.

 

“Goodnight Draco.”

 

“Goodnight Harry.”

 

\------------------------------

 

Harry was miserable. It had been five days since his duel with Albus, and he had barely seen his son. Al had been spending a lot of time locked in his room over the past few days, almost as if he knew what Harry had promised Ginny, and was testing him.

 

Lily and James were no help either. He knew they had both been talking to Albus, but they were surprisingly quiet about it. He sometimes caught a glimpse of Al rushing out the door, or slipping up the stairs, more often than not with shopping bags in his hands. What he could possibly be buying was beyond Harry, but he stayed true to his word, and let his son be. He just hoped Al would want to talk to him before they left for the World Cup tomorrow.

 

He was just putting the finishing touches on the roast when Lily traipsed through the kitchen, a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

 

“Lily, can you call your brothers for dinner? I can put those in a vase for you if you’d like.”

 

Lily smiled, handing over the flowers before marching up the stairs with a cry of “Losers! Dad says dinner’s ready!”

 

Harry rolled his eyes at his daughter’s antics. He turned his attention back to levitating everything over to the table, and soon everything was in place. He had just sat down when James came wandering in.

 

“Woah! Dad, what’s all this?” he asked excitedly, his eyes popping at the sight of all the food.

 

“I thought we could all have a nice dinner together, before you and I leave for the weekend. Think of it as a good luck dinner.”

 

“Man, it’s Lily and Al who lucked out. There’s definitely going to be enough for leftovers, they’ll get to eat good food all weekend.”

 

“That was kind of the plan,” Harry shrugged. James rolled his eyes at that.

“Dad, you’re gonna have to let Al fend for himself at some point. I can tell you from experience that nothing motivates a man to learn to cook like living off of cheese toasties for a week or two.”

 

“You live with Teddy! I’m sure he cooked for you.”

 

James laughed. “All he ate when he was on his own was pastries and sandwiches. Whatever your relatives did to teach you to cook, you should have done to him. And us, now that I think about it.”

 

Harry froze at the comment, unsure how to respond. He had never told his children (and he never planned to tell them) about how he had been treated in the Dursley household. If he had his way, no one would ever have know about that part of his life. It didn’t feel like something he wanted to share, with anyone. The only reason the Weasleys had known was because it had been impossible to hide as a child. And then, of course, Ginny had gone and told Draco.

 

Draco hadn’t asked again, but Harry could see from his eyes that it was still on his mind. He knew he’d have to address it eventually, but the thought made his hands shake. What would he say? What would Draco ask? Would he still want Harry, after he found out how weak he’d been?

 

“Earth to Dad!” Lily called, snapping him out of his thoughts. He hadn’t even heard her come in.

 

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

 

“Al said he’s on his way down, and Teddy just sent an owl saying he’ll swing by after dropping his grandmother off at home.”

 

Harry couldn’t help the wide grin that crept across his face. Al was _finally_ having dinner with them, and now Teddy would be here too! All thoughts of the Dursleys fled his mind as he allowed Lily and James to sweep him up in their argument about which team at the world cup had the best odds.

 

It wasn’t long before the back door opened and Teddy slipped in, giving Harry a quick hug before plopping himself onto a chair next to James. Harry glanced at the door to the hall, hoping Al actually was going to join them, before turning to ask Teddy how Andromeda and Narcissa were doing.

 

A moment later, he heard footsteps in the hall, before his youngest son showed up in the doorway. He had a small blue box in his hand, and Harry had barely had a moment to wonder what it was before Al handed it to him.

 

“Happy Birthday Dad,” Al said shyly, handing it over before taking his seat between Lily and James. Harry looked down in awe at the box, as Al added:

 

“It’s from all of us, by the way.”

 

James snorted. “Yeah, as in I paid for it, Al made it, and Lily signed her and Teddy’s names to the box five minutes ago.”

 

“James!” Lily groaned, as everyone else started laughing. Grinning, Harry lifted the lid, curious as to what Al could have made him that would have required financing from James. His eyes widened as he pulled out a book, or rather a scrapbook. The cover was a beautiful garnet colour, and looked almost like stone. It reminded Harry briefly of the philosopher’s stone. But the really special part was the title. Written in a dulle gold across the cover were the words _Why we love our Dad, written by Lily, Albus, James and Teddy._ Harry could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he opened it.

 

The first page contained a beautiful picture of the five of them. It must have been taken years ago, with the kids all laughing brightly as the happy family posed on the beach. Harry realised it was from Teddy’s 11th birthday- he’d asked to do something “cool” before going off to Hogwarts.

 

“This is our dad,” the caption read. “We love him dearly, and this book is all about why.”

 

He turned the page to find a pair of tickets to see a Harry Potter impersonator perform in two weeks’ time.

 

“There’s no one quite like him,” the book continued. “Though everyone wants to be!”

 

Harry chuckled, turning the page again. The next few pages held various clippings about Harry from the newspapers, and most seemed to be about his accomplishments as an Auror.

 

“He’s daring and brave, a hero to all.” Harry rolled his eyes, and then started laughing as he turned the page to find a picture of him and Lily dressed in superhero capes, back when she was the only one not yet old enough to go to Hogwarts. There was a small origami box next to the photo, with the words “unshrink me” written written on it. He did as instructed, and opened it to find a hoodie with the superman logo on it, so similar to the ones he’d longed for as a child during Dudley’s superhero phase. The only difference was that instead of an “S” inside the diamond shaped logo, there were two letters: H.P. He gasped happily, immediately pulling it over his head and snuggling into it. It was wonderfully soft too.

 

The rest of the book continued in the same manner, spouting his virtues and offering a present for each one. He found a gift voucher to the new nordic baths that had opened up on the outskirts of London with the caption “He always spoils us rotten,” and even a little Juniper bonsai, captioned “He’s always helped us grow!”. He got a new top of the line sneakoscope (“He’s always kept us safe”) and another gift voucher, this time to Fortescue’s (accompanied by a picture of young Al and James, before Lily was even born, both covered in ice cream and the words “Sunday trips for ice cream!”). He’d forgotten about that last one -- they’d let the tradition fall to the wayside after James had moved out. He instantly resolved to take them all for ice cream as soon as he got back.

 

But Harry’s favourite part of the whole book (which he spent so long pouring over that the kids had already started eating without him), was the vouchers and letters at the end. The last page held four letters, one from each child, and a collection of handmade vouchers, promising favours from each of them. He now had a free pass to get Lily to do the dishes (which was a chore she hated with her life) and for James to give him a foot rub. Teddy owed him a wide variety of pastries (not that he ever charged Harry for them in the first place) and Al had promised to degnome the garden. The best of the vouchers though, were the four identical ones on top, one from each of them, entitled “Free hug. This coupon is indefinitely reusable.” Tears in his eyes, he laid the four hug vouchers on the table, and said softly, “Can I redeem these now?”

 

Laughing, they all got up and ran around the table, sweeping him into a tight group hug. The tears were coming freely now. Harry couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so loved. This book was the most special thing he’d ever received, and he kept it close all evening, re-reading it again and again throughout the night. Each time he noticed a few more lovely details, and couldn’t help admiring the craftsmanship that had gone into this project. He looked up at Al, who was sitting quietly at the other end of the sofa, watching Harry carefully while ignoring his rambunctious siblings.

 

“This is beautiful,” Harry said, gesturing at the book in his lap. “Is this what you’ve been doing, holed up in your room all week?”

 

Al nodded. “Mostly, yeah. A lot of the presents were Lily’s idea, as much as we joke that she only signed her name to it.”

 

“Thank you Albus. This is definitely the most special gift I’ve ever received.”

 

Al snorted. “You have an invisibility cloak, and the marauders’ map. A scrapbook doesn’t compare.”

 

Harry smiled. “You’re right. There’s no way those things would ever be as wonderful as this.”

 

Al blushed, glancing at his siblings who were now building exploding snap card pyramids. They were having a loud argument over whether James’ uniform made him look washed out or highlighted his cheekbones.

 

“Dad? I, um… I wanted to apologize for losing my temper last week. I was being really stupid, and I definitely didn’t mean to throw that curse, I don’t know what happened to me. I keep claiming that I’m an adult, but then I resort to my wand to settle arguments.” Harry hated how bitter Al sounded.

 

“Hey, it was my fault too. I shouldn’t have kept pushing you to talk to me. I guess I just… it’s a parent thing. It doesn’t matter how old you get, I can’t really stop worrying about you.”

 

“I guess that’s fair,” Al said lightly.

 

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently,” Harry continued. “Your mum said something to me last week that kind of struck a chord. She pointed out that I never had my parents there to worry about me, so I never learned as a teenager how annoying it can be. And she was right, in a way. I’ve always been so intent on making sure you kids have the best life you can, and I guess sometimes I get carried away.”

 

“Didn’t your Aunt and Uncle fret over you fighting in a war as you grew up?” Al asked. Harry hesitated, annoyed that the Dursleys had come up yet again.

 

“They… didn’t know much about the war. I only filled them in when I sent them into hiding, and I… haven’t seen them since.”

 

“Did something happen to them?” Al asked, looking alarmed. Harry was almost tempted to say yes; it would certainly explain why he’d never taken the children to meet them. But if the last week had proved anything, it was that he needed to be more honest with Al.

 

“No. The members of the Order who were guarding them confirmed that they made it home safely after the war. We just… never got along, so once I was an adult, I just… left.” Al looked like he was thinking hard. Harry just sat there, watching James’ pyramid explode, knocking Lily’s over in the process. He wondered what might be going through Al’s mind, just as his son started to speak.

 

“Dad, I… I don’t plan to move out anytime soon. I know it scares you to think about us all growing up and leaving. And after what you just said about your aunt and uncle, I guess that makes sense. But you have to know that we’re all still gonna be here for you, regardless of where we sleep at night.” He raised his voice a bit, even though they both knew the others were listening to their every word. “I guess James and Teddy just had to go so that we wouldn’t hear them going at it like rabbits every night.” Al grinned at his brother, who flicked the card box at him, while Lily and Harry roared with laughter, and Teddy started blushing furiously. There was soon a miniature war going on in the middle of the sitting room, with exploding snap cards and pillows flying everywhere. Lily squealed as Teddy picked her up and threw her onto the couch, and Harry and Al teamed up against James, each armed with a sofa cushion and laughing like mad.

 

Not long after, they were all sprawled out on the floor, panting hard from the exploding-pillow-war they had just been in. Harry propped himself up on his elbows as Al stood up, smiling around at all his children.

 

“As fun as that was, I’d better get packing,” Al said, stretching. “Can’t spend the weekend lounging around in pyjamas if we’re staying with grandma and grandpa.”

 

Harry sighed, sitting up and looking up at Al. He maybe have grown up in a different home environment from his kids, but even he could appreciate that having the house to oneself had its merits.

 

“You don’t need to pack Al. You’re right, you’re both more than capable of staying home alone. Even your grandmother said I was being ridiculous, though she still expects you both to join them for dinner tomorrow.”

 

The surprise on Al’s face quickly turned into a grin. Harry felt a little guilty for omitting the fact that he had tripled the wards last night, but as Al plopped down next to him and drew him into another hug, he realised he really was grateful for how wonderful his relationship with his children was. He really should try to trust them more often.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

“Man, folding laundry is so much better now that I can use my wand to do it,” Al said happily, watching his bed sheet fold itself into a neat little square.

 

“Yeah, gives you more time to give me a foot rub,” Scorpius added, wiggling his toes. Al looked down at the feet in his lap. He smirked, running one finger lightly up the sole of Scorpius’ right foot. Scorpius yelped, dragging his feet away from his vicious boyfriend.

 

“What made you decide to get all domestic and do laundry today anyways?” Scorpius asked. “You do realise we only have one weekend with all the parents gone _and_ no school.”

 

Al laughed. “What is there to do that we can’t do while they’re around?”

 

Scorpius shrugged. “Not laundry, that’s for sure.”

 

“Well, I needed to clean my sheets, so I figured I’d get a whole load done.”

 

“What happened to your sheets?” Scorpius asked innocently. A sly grin took over his face as he noticed Al blushing.

 

“Oho. So _that’s_ what happened to your sheets!”

 

“Get over yourself! It’s not like everyone else doesn’t do it,” he mumbled.

 

“No that’s true,” Scorpius conceded, leaning in. “I’m pretty sure everyone wanks, whether they’re open about it or not,” he whispered in Al’s ear. “No, what I’m really curious about, is who you were thinking about as you came. It couldn’t have been little old me, could it?”

 

Al turned an even more delightful shade of red at that.

 

“So what if it was?” he grumbled.

 

“I’m flattered,” Scorp laughed. “If it’s any consolation, I think about you too.”

 

“Really?” Al seemed a little too surprised at that. It somehow just seemed to spur Scorpius on.

 

“Of course. I think about the passionate way you kiss me when it’s just the two of us, sneaking into an empty classroom between lessons. I remember the soft feel of your hand in mine, and imagine what it must feel like on other parts of my body. I think about your cock, the few glimpses I’ve gotten in the showers. I think about how big it looked, and how wonderful it would feel in my hand. Slowly fattening up, getting red and leaking at the tip. The beautiful moans you would make, calling my name and begging me to stroke faster.”

 

Al’s eyes were a little unfocused, and he shifted on the couch. Scorpius didn’t even bother trying to hide the bulge in his tight jeans.

 

“I have this one fantasy,” he whispered. “Of us in the rain. Of how it would feel for you to push me up against the castle wall, pinning me between your wet body and the cold stones. Of the wet slide of our warm tongues, contrasting with the cold rain soaking us to the bone. How would it be to feel each other shiver, wondering if it’s from the rain, or the feeling of rubbing up against each other?”

 

“Scorp, stop!” Al cried, pulling Scorp out of the moment.

 

“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I should have asked if you were okay with dirty talk before going off like that.”

 

Al rolled his eyes. “It’s not that, you twit. Lily’s going to come home any minute, I’d rather she not walk in on us salivating over each other on the sofa.”

 

“Oh, yeah, you’re right.” It was Scorpius’ turn to blush.

 

“I’ll admit, that was really hot though,” Al said after a moment.

 

“Yeah? Do you think you’d want to do it again?” Scorpius asked hopefully.

 

“I think so,” Al nodded. “I like the whole _sharing fantasies_ idea. Does that sound weird?”

 

“Not to me,” Scorpius shrugged. He hesitated, before voicing another thought that came to mind.

 

“What about wanking together? Would you want to try that?”

 

Al thought about it. “What exactly do you mean by that? Like, lying in bed next to each other and just getting off?”

 

“Sure,” Scorpius offered. “Or in separate beds if you feel you need your space. Or if we’re feeling particularly daring, maybe we could even try wanking each other off.”

 

Al bit his lip, and for a moment Scorpius couldn’t help worrying that he had scared him off with his bold ideas.

 

“That sounds like a good idea. Maybe, you know, in the same bed, but just next to each other?”

 

Scorpius smiled. He was just about to lean forward and draw Al into another kiss when the floo roared to life.

 

"Are you nerds doing laundry?" Lily laughed.

 

"Why is your hair purple?" Al countered. Lily shrugged.

 

"I think it looks nice," she sniffed.

 

"It won't when Dad has a heart attack at the sight of it," Al warned.

 

"That's fine, I'll just tell him it was your fault you couldn't control your little sister."

 

"Why you little-"

 

"Al, she's just winding you up. I don't think your dad's ever going to see it anyways."

 

"Why not?" Lily asked curiously.

 

"Don't you have dinner with your grandparents tonight? Do you really think Molly's going to let you leave her house looking like that?"

 

He watched as a look of horror crept onto Lily's face and Al started laughing.

 

"I completely forgot about that!" she gasped. "Grandma's going to freak! Al, you have to change it back!"

 

"Oh, I don't know Lils, it's rather growing on me," Al taunted. "Anyway, you went to all the trouble of getting it done, I wouldn't want to ruin it!"

 

"Al, you know how touchy Grandma gets about people's hair! Even Teddy changes his hair back when he goes to visit them!"

 

"I'm sure she wouldn't make that much of a fuss..." Scorpius offered, hoping Lily would calm down a bit.

 

"I'm sure she would!" Lily declared. "It's the non-washable potion too, so I can't just wash it out."

 

"If it's a potion, I'm definitely not going to mess with it Lils," Al said seriously. "I'd rather you get a lecture from Grandma about dying your hair than end up in Mungo's with a burnt scalp."

 

"What have I done?!" she cried. "I don't even like this colour! It's going to clash so much when my natural hair starts growing out. Can you imagine, red and purple?"

 

"Why did you put it in if you didn't like it?" Scorp asked curiously.

 

"Maddy said it was the new 'in' colour, and that it's really rock-and-roll. Apparently that's some muggle thing." Lily had a horribly defeated look on her face.

 

"Hey, maybe I can ask Lacey if she knows of anything," Scorpius offered. He realised he'd gotten to a point where Lily felt as much like his little sister as she did Al's, and he hated seeing her upset.

 

"Lacey!" he called. She popped into existence a moment later, looking around carefully.

 

"Young Master is calling?"

 

"Lacey, do you know how to remove hair dye? Lily isn't a fan of her colour."

 

The elf turned to contemplate the young girl, walking in a circle around her. Lily bit her lips as she watched the elf anxiously.

 

"Is miss using a potion with dirigible plum extract?" Lacey asked. Lily shrugged.

 

"It's the new Wonder Witch line. I didn't really read the ingredients, and the box is in Maddy's trash bin now."

 

"Well then, why don't you go get it?" Al suggested, gesturing towards the floo.

 

"You want me to dig around in her trash bin?" Lily demanded.

 

"If you don't want to have dinner with Grandma glaring at you, then yes."

 

"Uggh, fine!" she cried, stomping into the floo.

 

"Is Master returning home for dinner?" Lacey asked, turning towards Scorpius.

 

"Actually, Scorp, Grandma told me to invite you to join us tonight. If you want."

 

"Oh, um, okay. I guess I won't be home for dinner tonight then, Lacey. Sorry."

 

"Young Master must be bringing sir and miss to dinner tomorrow then! Lacey is making pot roast!"

 

Scorpius grinned. "Wanna come over for dinner tomorrow?" he asked Al.

 

"Sure. Less cooking for me to do."

 

At that moment Lily stepped back out of the floo, gingerly holding a battered box.

 

"It doesn't say dirigible plum extract on the box," she said, looking annoyed.

 

"Then this is easy fixing!" Lacey squeaked, snapping her fingers and returning Lily's hair to it's original vibrant red.

 

"Oh thank you Lacey!" Lily cried, pulling locks of her hair forward to see for herself.

 

"As long as miss is not using dirigible plum extract, hair potions is easy fixing. All miss is needing is a reversal spell."

 

"Oh, we could have done that!" Scorpius laughed. "Sorry Lacey, I wouldn't have bothered you if I'd known it was that simple."

 

"Lacey is always helping Young Master! Now Lacey is going, goodbye!" She disappeared with a pop.

 

"Thanks Scorp," Lily said happily. "I'd better go get ready for dinner."

 

She bent down to pick up the hair dye box she had dropped, and was about to toss it in the bin, when Al raised his wand.

 

"Actually Lils, let's vanish any evidence of what happened today," he grimaced. Scorpius laughed as she handed the package to him, only for it to disappear a moment later.

 

"Thanks guys. That was a close call."

 

"Lily, I know you know it, but I'm going to remind you anyways," Al said seriously. "You should never feel pressured to do anything you don't want to. Even if it's something small like dying your hair, or going out; if you don't wanna do it, your friends should respect that."

 

Lily nodded. "I know. And I'm usually pretty good at saying no, but Maddy was already feeling down today, and I just felt really bad disappointing her even more."

 

"Lil, it's awesome that you wanna be there for your friends. But you're not really going to help them if you're tearing yourself down to do it. That's like taking the bottom rungs off a ladder and adding them to the top for someone to be able to climb higher. It just doesn't work."

 

Lily laughed at the analogy. "I never thought of it that way. I guess you're right."

 

"Did Lily just say I'm right?" Al exclaimed. "Scorpius, we have to pensieve this moment, record it for the museum! Lily just said I'm right!"

 

"Oh shut up, Al," she grumbled, slouching out of the hall.

 

"I guess I'd better go home and get dressed too, if I'm to be meeting your grandparents tonight. How formal should I dress?"

 

"Scorp, you've met my grandparents before. It's not some monumental occasion."

 

"I've met them among crowds of more than 50 people! I've never sat and had dinner with them!"

 

"As long as you compliment Grandma's cooking and smile and nod while Grandpa talks about his muggle gadgets, they'll love you."

 

"I doubt it's that simple, Al. Anyway, you should be getting ready too. Don't rile Lily up too much while I'm gone."

 

"Yes mum," Al joked, giving Scorpius a quick kiss before he stepped into the floo.

 

\------------------------

 

"Do you think they're doing okay?" Harry asked, his fingers entwined with Draco's. His boyfriend huffed, putting down his omnioculars to glare at Harry.

 

"Yes Harry, I think they're doing marvelous. They're probably having a blast, blaring loud music and staying up to all hours of the night watching muggle horror pictures. Stop worrying about our grown children, and start focusing on our holiday!"

 

"You're right, I'm sorry love." Draco rolled his eyes at him, before returning his attention to the field. Harry's thoughts were still on the children, however, as they waited for the players to finish their warm-ups and get into position.

 

"They're about to start!" Draco said excitedly. "You'd better not still be thinking about the kids."

 

"I'm thinking about the oldest," Harry grinned, turning his attention to the seekers below. There in his bright teal uniform, a determined look on his face, was James. This was his first world cup game, and Harry knew his son had been feeling quite nervous about it. He leaned forward, his Teal hat sliding down on his forehead. The crowd was reaching a deafening level with their cheering.

 

" _Welcome folks, to a very special game tonight! Not only are we here to witness the 475th quidditch world cup final, we're here as part of a historic partnership between the league's seekers. Tonight, Arrows seeker James Potter, a fan favourite but new to the world cup, is facing off against 3 time French league champion Marianne Weatherston of the Volantes de Versailles. As with all the games this weekend, the teams have agreed to donate all proceeds from ticket sales to the Potter foundation for athletic equality. So, witches and wizards of all ages, put your hands together and make some noise! Our Head Referee tonight is Tina Perez! The bludgers have been released, followed by the snitch!_ _She's counting down to the quaffle release.... and they're off!"_

 

It was a thrilling game, and Harry was at the edge of his seat through the entire thing. He watched as James dipped and dived, moving through the air as if he was born for it. There were a few close calls, but in the end, James managed to snag the snitch during a tangle of limbs involving 2 chasers, a bludger and the French team's middle hoop. No one was quite sure what exactly had happened, but as the refs reviewed the omnioculars, they determined that no one was at fault and that James had caught the snitch fair and square. Harry was beside himself, leaning over the railing and cheering himself hoarse.

 

"Let's get down to the media room," Draco yelled into his ear, pushing a now-dancing Harry down the stairs. Ginny had given them passes to team England's press conference, so that they would be able to speak to James before he headed off to celebrate with his team. The room was chaos, with reporters calling out and flashing pictures everywhere. Ginny waved them over to join her in the back, where they thankfully went unnoticed by the rest of the press.

 

"Ladies and gents, if you could take your seats, the team will be out any moment," the host called out, and sure enough, a few moments later the team trooped onto the stage, still clad in their uniforms and smiling broadly.

 

"Now, we'll take questions one at a time. Yes, you in the second row."

 

"Martin Brown from Wizard fitness. Mr. Potter, you've offered unusual hints about your fitness regime in the past. Can you confirm the most recent rumours that you mud wrestle with hippogriffs as part of your daily workout?"

 

Harry's jaw dropped and Ginny snorted. Draco was able to resist the temptation to roll his eyes, until Harry leaned over and whispered to Ginny, "he doesn't, right?".

 

Up on the stange, the whole team was laughing. Apparently James had delivered some witty retort, though Draco had missed it thanks to Harry's stupid question.

 

"Eliza Dasani from Witch Weekly," another reporter said as she stood up. "Mr Campson, you've recently been seen in public with a fair young witch, brown haired, hazel eyes? Can you give us a name, and your current relationship status with her?"

 

Campson, the team's head chaser, gave her an annoyed look.

 

"Yeah, that's my sister Cassandra. Next question."

 

"These idiots don't know what journalism is," Ginny grumbled, before standing up.

 

"Ginny Weasley, of the Daily Prophet, freelancing for the Quibbler," she called out. "Can I ask each of the players what motivates them to go out onto the field and play the best game they can play?"

 

"Now that's a good question!" the coach, Larry something, called out. "Go ahead team!"

 

One by one, the players took turns talking about their childhood dream to be a Quidditch star, or their love for their fans, or the feeling of freedom when they were in the air. The captain mentioned his 4 year old son, who came to every game to watch his papa fly. They finally got to the end of the row, where James was the last one left to answer.

 

"I play for my family," he said simply, grinning at his mum. "I always try to pull some crazy stunts, both on the field and off, so that my mum has something fun to write about each day. But I'm always careful to put safety first, so that my dad doesn't die of a heart attack. I play for my little brother, and my little sister, to remind them that everyone in our family, including them, can always accomplish great things. But most of all, I play for my fiancé, Teddy, because he puts so much of his heart into loving and supporting me and cheering me on -- how could I not play?"

 

"Did he just say fiancé?" Draco asked Harry, wondering if he had heard wrong. It seemed that this was news to everyone, however, because the room was suddenly abuzz, and Harry and Ginny were exchanging shocked looks.

 

"That will be all for now," the coach called as reporters started yelling out their questions, trying to wrangle any last detail from James. A group of security wizards ushered the players off the platform, and slowly, the room started to empty out. Finally it was just the three of them, sitting in stunned silence.

 

"Well, that was one way to announce an engagement, I guess?" Draco said weakly, trying to break the ice. Harry looked up at him, and finally smiled.

 

"My boys are getting married!" he cried happily. All of a sudden he and Ginny were jumping out of their seats, holding hands and jumping around singing "James is getting married, Teddy's getting married!" over and over. Draco silently vowed that he absolutely would _not_  get so over-excited if Scorpius ever decided to settle down. Frankly, they were being a bit embarrassing.

 

"I take it back, it's a good thing we didn't tell them first," came Teddy's voice from the doorway. He and James had barely stepped through the doorway before Harry and Ginny pounced, drawing them both into bone crushing hugs.

 

"You definitely get your flair for the dramatic from your father," Ginny said, finally releasing James. "What on earth possessed you to announce your engagement like that?"

 

"Well, we were going to tell you guys first," Teddy explained, prying himself gently out of Harry's arms. "But apparently Mr big mouth here couldn't wait for dinner to share the joy."

 

"I'm excited!" James said defensively. "I wanted to tell the world!"

 

"That you did," Draco pointed out. "But nonetheless, congratulations to both of you."

 

"I want to hear all the details!" Harry demanded.

 

"Of our engagement?" James asked, confused.

 

"Of the proposal, of course!"

 

James and Teddy looked at each other and burst out laughing.

 

"I knew we were forgetting something!" James laughed.

 

"We've just kinda been discussing it as a possibility lately," Teddy explained to Harry, who was looking confused. "We were lying in bed a few nights ago, and I mentioned that Grandma had been asking me when I was going to get married. This tosser literally yawned, said "does June work?" and then rolled over and went to sleep as soon as I said yes."

 

"It wasn't like it was the first time we'd talked about getting married!" James shot back. "I thought you were literally asking about a date, so I suggested one! I think it would be cool to get married on my birthday. Double the presents!"

 

"You're both idiots," Ginny said fondly. "But as long as you're idiots together, that's the important part."

 

"That we are," Teddy said fondly, taking James' hand. "Now, I'm starving. Can we finally go get dinner?"

 

"Yeah, and you guys can tell us all about your _romantic proposals_ ," James snickered.

 

"Your father was actually very romantic with his proposal," Ginny said thoughtfully as they headed out towards the floos. "I got a candle lit dinner and roses and everything."

 

"You don't strike me as the candle lit dinner type," Draco said, peering at her. "I always thought it must have had something to do with flying."

 

"Oh, it was a candle lit dinner at 100 feet, above the orchard behind mum and dad's house. I loved it."

 

"Of course," Draco rolled his eyes.

 

"What about you Draco? How did you propose?"

 

"Actually, it was Astoria's idea to get married," Draco shrugged. "Our parents were heavily suggesting it, and we had been courting each other for about a year. Initially we were only doing it to make them happy, but soon enough we actually started to fall in love. She finally asked me at a ball our parents had thrown for her birthday. We were walking in the gardens, and she pulled me into the Gazebo. We sat on the bench, staring at the stars for a moment, and I asked her what she would like as a present. She looked me square in the eye and said "A husband." Exactly a year later, we were married."

 

"Damn, the more you talk about her, the more I wish I had been friends with your wife," Ginny laughed. "We were always competing at school, but it seems like we would have gotten along well. She sounds so sassy."

 

Draco smiled. "I think she would have liked you too. Though I shudder to imagine all the evil plans you both would have hatched."

 

Ginny cackled at the thought. "We would have made your life miserable."

 

Draco shook his head. "No one was ever miserable around Astoria. She was too cheerful for that."

 

Harry put his arm around Draco's waist, and he smiled, leaning into his touch. His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, and everyone laughed.

 

"Let's get to the restaurant before Draco starves us all with his reminiscing," Teddy teased, dragging James into the floo. Ginny went next, and he was about to follow when Harry held him back.

 

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, concerned green eyes piercing Draco's soul. Draco nodded, reaching forward to give him a hug.

 

"I'm always alright when you're around," he smiled. "Now let's go eat."

 

\--------------------------

 

"Um, do you wanna sleep over tonight?" Al offered as they stumbled out of the floo. Dinner at the Burrow had been entertaining, to say the least, and Al was still buzzing with excitement. He didn't want Scorpius to leave just yet.

 

"Oooohhh," Lily teased. "Looks like someone's really making the most of Dad being away."

 

"Shut up Lils, I literally meant sleeping. Don't make me start asking about who you're dating."

 

Al was surprised to see Lily's face go red at that. _Interesting_.

 

"Whatever. I'm going to bed. Try not to be too loud," she smirked, before prancing up the stairs.

 

"Did you see that?" Scorp laughed. "She turned red when you mentioned her dating someone!"

 

Al shrugged. "She'll tell us soon enough. Or we'll figure it out at school. But seriously, do you wanna stay here tonight?"

 

Scorpius nodded. Even though it hadn't been any different than usual, there was something about knowing that the manor was empty that gave him the creeps about staying there. He followed Al upstairs, borrowing a pair of his pyjamas before slipping into the washroom to get ready.

 

"Having an actual double bed is so nice," Al sighed as the cuddled up together. "I'm not looking forward to having to go back to the singles at school."

 

"You love school. And this is our last year, it's going to be amazing!"

 

"Oh, have you seen the 7th year book list? It's ridiculously long! Who do you think set the new book of spells set?"

 

Scorpius shrugged. "Beats me. It must have been a new professor. Probably whoever the new defense person is. You're taking defense again, right?"

 

Al nodded. "Did you decide if you're going to take herbology again?"

 

Scorpius bit his lip. "I want to. I think it could be important."

 

"Scorp, that means you won't get any spare periods. Between class and Quidditch, you'll be exhausted."

 

"I'll be fine," Scorpius said dismissively. "Speaking of Quidditch though, I got a letter from McGonagall last night."

 

"Really? What did she say?"

 

"She... um, she wants me to be Head Boy."

 

"Scorp that's awesome!" Al said excitedly. "You definitely deserve it!"

 

Scorpius smiled. "She said the offer was conditional though."

 

"She probably thinks you're going to die if you take so many classes, _and_ remain quidditch captain, _and_ take on head boy duties. Something's gotta give Scorp."

 

"I think I'll be able to manage everything," Scorp said defiantly. "Her condition was actually that I can't pull anymore risky moves during Quidditch. She said she doesn't want a role model giving younger students the wrong idea."

 

"I agree with her," Al said after thinking about it for a moment. "There are way too many kids who think you're the coolest guy in the world for you to be risking your neck in front of them."

 

"There are not!" Scorpius laughed. "Who in their right mind would look up to _me,_ of all people?"

 

"Lots of people. You're popular, handsome, athletic, funny, kind, charming, clever... do you need me to go on?"

 

"I wouldn't mind," Scorpius said cheekily, shifting so that his long arms wrapped around Albus, and his head was resting on his chest. Al laughed, the weight of his boyfriend's head comforting on his chest.

 

"The point is, she's right that you should be setting an example. Which you mostly do, but doing ridiculous dives that even reckless Gryffindors like James normally wouldn't attempt is a bit extreme."

 

"Yeah, yeah," Scorpius yawned. "I still can't believe people look to me as a role model. Name one person," he demanded.

 

"Me," Al said simply. He chuckled softly at Scorpius' stunned silence, running his fingers through Scorpius' fine hair.

 

"Finally, he shuts up!" Al joked. "Maybe now I can finally get some sleep." He yelped as Scorp pinched him, but they soon settled down again.

 

"Pillows don't talk. Hush, pillow." Scorp mumbled. Before Al could think of a witty retort, Scorp was snoring softly. It was an endearing sight, his face open and relaxed, his hair shimmering in the moonlight, and Al would never admit that he laid awake much longer than usual, thinking he could really get used to this.


	8. Adulthood

_September 2023_

 

Scorpius was exhausted. It was hardly time for dinner, and yet he felt like he had lived the span of 3 days since he'd woken up. He'd been up early for Quidditch practice, followed by rounds with the new prefects who were still in training, before showering and dressing at lightning speed and still making it to breakfast late. He'd then gone through his full day of classes, spending most of his lunch break in the library catching up on the DADA readings that he’d fallen asleep on last night. Thankfully Al had brought him a sandwich and a couple of cookies, which he scarfed down on the way to transfiguration. After classes had let out he'd spent an hour on his charms assignment, before running back out to the field for more Quidditch practice, since he'd had to cut the morning one short for prefect training.

 

As the team trooped into the castle to shower and change before dinner, Scorpius seriously considered just crawling into bed, mud and sweat be damned. But the moment he walked into his room, he caught sight of the monstrous pile of books sitting on his desk, and remembered the daunting amount of homework he had to do. With a deep sigh, he dragged himself into the shower, allowing himself a few extra moments to enjoy the hot water.

 

"I stole a couple of pies and a salad from the kitchen," Al chirped, startling Scorpius as he stepped out of the bathroom. Taking a moment to allow his heart rate to return to normal, Scorpius glanced at Al, who was sitting on Scorp's bed with an entire picnic.

 

"Why?" Scorp asked as he pulled on his pyjama pants. He grabbed a jumper that was hanging on his desk chair, not even bothering to put a shirt on under it.

 

"Because you look like an inferius," Al said, patting the bed next to him. "I thought you might be too tired to go down to the Great Hall."

 

Scorpius sat down, touched at his boyfriend's thoughtfulness. The minute his body sank into the soft mattress under him, however, he felt bone tired. Even the thought of lifting a fork was a horrible one.

 

"Thanks, Al," he said leaning back against the headboard. "I really.." he yawned, his eyes fluttering shut, "..really appreciate it."

 

"Man, are you falling asleep on me?"

 

"Hmm? No, no of course not," Scorpius mumbled, his eyes still shut. A moment later, he felt something pinch his thigh.

 

"Ow!" he cried, sitting up, his eyes flying open.

 

"Eat something first. Then you can sleep."

 

Scorpius shook his head with a sigh. "Can't sleep, still have to do homework. Do you think the elves would bring us coffee up here?" he wondered aloud.

 

"You absolutely cannot do homework tonight!" Al scolded. "It's Friday- you have the whole weekend ahead of you."

 

"I have a schedule..." Scorp argued, lifting his fork about 4 inches before dropping it. "I can't..."

 

"Here, let me," Al said quietly. He lifted the plate and the fork to Scorpius' mouth, offering him small bites. Scorpius took them gratefully, his head falling back against the headboard again as he chewed on the flaky beef pie. He opened his eyes after the seventh or eighth bite, and was met with a surprisingly intimate scene. Al's beautiful green eyes were watching him with such tenderness, gently feeding him one forkful of dinner at a time. He wanted to reach out and pull Al into a warm hug, but his arms still refused to move.

 

"Want more?" Al asked as he chewed on the last of his slice. Scorp shook his head, letting it fall back against the headboard.

 

"Want you," he mumbled, realising that he hadn't been spending much time with Al lately. He'd been a good sport about all of Scorp's responsibilities, but Scorp was starting to miss him. It seemed Al had been feeling the same way, because he quickly levitated all the food over to the desk, before joining Scorpius at the top of the bed.

 

"C'mere," he said fondly, pulling Scorpius close and shifting so that they were lying down together. Scorpius vaguely registered a blanket being pulled over them, and that something about Al's chest felt different, before sleep claimed him for the night.

 

\-----------------------------------

 

_January 23rd, 2024_

 

“How does it look?” Draco called from the other dressing room. “Does it fit okay?”

 

“Um, yeah, I think so,” Harry called back. He turned back to his reflection, admiring the navy blue dress robes he was trying on. James and Teddy had given them a whole bunch of things to do in preparation for the wedding, and first on the list had been to go get robes that matched the wedding’s colour scheme. They had quickly found out that there were very few shades of purple that suited Harry, and after a few back and forth patronuses with Teddy, they’d settled on navy blue for Harry instead.

 

“Let me see,” Draco called, now standing on the other side of the change room door. Harry let him in, spreading his arms wide to show off what he thought was the perfect outfit. He was very confused when Draco frowned.

 

“It’ll need a fair amount of alterations,” Draco mused. “I thought you said this fit?”

 

“Doesn’t it?” Harry asked.

 

Draco shook his head. “Can’t you tell? Isn’t it uncomfortable to have the trousers sagging like that in the back, or for the seam of the shoulder to snag before your actual shoulder joint?”

 

Harry shrugged. “I never really learned what fitting clothes were supposed to feel like. Ginny used to buy me most of my stuff after Hogwarts, and I just kind of went with it.”

 

Draco didn’t seem to like this explanation. “What do you mean you never knew what fitting clothes felt like?” Harry gulped as he realised he shouldn’t have said that to Draco without expecting a conversation about the Dursleys.

 

“Um, I used to wear my cousin’s hand-me-downs,” he mumbled, hoping Draco would drop it. It seemed, however, that fate was against him today.

 

“Your cousin? You mean the one whose parents were-”

 

“Please don’t say it!” Harry said quickly, cupping a hand over Draco’s mouth. ”At least not in public.”

 

Draco’s eyes widened as he realised the whole store could probably hear their conversation. He nodded, and stuck to the topic of alterations and wedding planning for the rest of the visit. As soon as they were out of the store, however, Draco rounded on Harry.

 

“Your place or mine?” he asked. Harry just stared at him, confused, so Draco grabbed his arm and apparated him back to the Manor.

 

“What are we doing here?” Harry asked, placing the garment bags he had been holding on a chair in the parlour. Draco sat down on the sofa, and indicated for Harry to join him.

 

“Your aunt and uncle. What did they do?”

 

Harry shook his head, silently begging Draco not to force him to have this conversation.

 

“Harry, you can’t avoid talking about it forever,” Draco said gently, taking Harry’s hands in his own. “I promise I won’t think of you any differently. We can start small. Tell me about the hand-me-downs.”

 

Harry was about to protest again, insist that it wasn’t important, but at that moment he noticed Draco’s eyes. There was something gentle and comforting about his expression, and somehow Harry made the decision to trust him. Taking a deep breath, he started to talk.

 

“I used to wear my cousin’s hand-me-downs. He was always much larger than me, though, so they never quite fit. It was a little humiliating to go to primary school every day in a shirt so large it hung to my knees, and jeans that had to be rolled up so I wouldn’t trip on them, cinched with an ugly old belt so that they’d stay up. Right before I got my Hogwarts letter, I thought I would be going to a local secondary school, whose uniform was grey. My aunt decided to just dye a few more hand-me-downs, rather than waste money on me.”

 

He didn’t look up; he didn’t think he could bear to see Draco’s expression. Instead, he kept talking. Now that he had started, he found he couldn’t really stop.

 

“They made me cook and clean, from a young age. I had many burn marks from the time the oil splattered all over me, the time my wrist brushed the oven rack, the time the toaster got stuck and I was made to pull the burnt pieces out with my small fingers. The neighbours thought I was some kind of miscreant, because I always looked dirty and shabby from the chores.”

 

He wasn’t surprised to find that he was shaking, but he soldiered on. “I was always punished if even the slightest thing went wrong. Locked in my cupboard for days without food, or access to a washroom. When I got my owl, they used to keep her locked in her cage all summer too.”

 

He couldn’t help it. The thought of Hedwig brought back a rush of emotions, from the times when it felt like she was his only friend, when he’d sat awake most nights stroking her feathers through the bars because he knew he was letting her down too. She had just been another innocent soul, lost in a war that should never have touched her. He wrapped his arms around himself, curling into the sofa cushion and started to cry. Instantly Draco was there, wrapping a warm blanket around Harry and pulling him close. Harry leaned into him, resting his head on Draco’s shoulder, and letting the tears fall.

 

“They didn’t like magic. In their eyes, I was a freak, and the only way for it to be normal was to beat it out of me. I was always so angry about it, and so scared of what might happen next. There were times when I was terrified that I’d never get out of there. Even at Hogwarts, I knew I should probably tell someone what was happening, but I didn’t want them to look at me with that _pity_ in their eyes, and think...” Harry closed his eyes as he voiced the part that bothered him the most, the reason he never spoke about all this.

 

“The great Harry Potter,” he choked out. “Bested by a pair of muggles.”

 

“No,” Draco said, finally speaking up. “It’s not like that Harry. First of all there’s nothing much you could have done, even if you are _The Great Harry Potter_. What, would you have cursed them? Had them sent to Azkaban?” Harry shook his head. Maybe at 14 or 15, he would have jumped at the chance to make his aunt and uncle suffer. But now that he was an adult, he knew better.

 

“Second of all, they didn’t get the best of you. As cliché as it may sound, you didn’t let them break you. You still have the most loving and forgiving heart in the world. You’re still _you._ I’ve seen how careful you are to always make sure your children are safe, well fed, and well loved, and now I understand that there’s more than just the run of the mill love of a parent motivating you to care for them like that.”

 

“I would never be able to forgive myself if I ever let my children suffer like that,” Harry whispered. Draco nodded.

 

“No decent human being would.” They sat in silence for a few more minutes, before Draco spoke again.

 

“I’m sorry I pushed you into telling me all this,” he said softly. “I should have respected your boundaries when you said no.”

 

Harry sighed, wiggling a bit to get closer to Draco.

 

“I didn’t want to, but now that I’ve told you all this, I’m glad I got the chance to talk about it. It feels a bit like a weight has been lifted off my chest.”

 

“It’s funny, isn’t it? We constantly tell our children to talk to us, to let their emotions out, that it will make them feel better. But we rarely follow our own advice, do we?”

 

“We can definitely take a page out of the kids’ books these days,” Harry chuckled. “I mean, look how well they’re all doing! James and Teddy are even getting married in a few months!”

 

“Is… is that page you’d want to take from their book?” Draco asked softly. Harry stilled for a moment, thinking about his comment. Would he want to get married again? He knew at this point that Draco was it for him -- he wasn’t going to fall in love with anyone else anymore. But to actually marry him…

 

The more he thought about it, the more Harry realised he wanted it. He’d dreamt of a happy family with a perfect home when he’d married Ginny, but somewhere along the way, the dream had changed to wanting someone who loved him, someone he could trust. A passionate relationship that made him feel like a real human.

 

And for him, that was Draco. The only question was, would Draco want that too? He’d been very much in love with Astoria. Would he want to get married again? Build a home and a family again?

 

“I think so,” Harry said bravely, hoping he wasn’t about to make a fool of himself. “We have all the time in the world to get there, but I think I’d be honoured to marry you one day.”

 

He waited silently, as Draco stroked his hair, apparently thinking over what Harry had just said. A few minutes later, Draco spoke, and Harry had his answer.

 

“I’d be honoured to, one day, marry you too, Harry. I love you.”

 

\--------------------------------------

 

_March 19, 2024_

 

"Mr. Malfoy, are you paying attention?"

 

Al whipped his head around to look at his boyfriend, who -- was he asleep? He was slouched forward on his desk, and Al had been so engrossed with the Headmistress' presentation on available internships and post-hogwarts education options that he hadn't paid any attention to Scorpius. He poked Scorpius, hoping to wake him up before McGonagall started getting angry, but Scorpius didn't budge. He poked him again, before grabbing his shoulder and shaking him hard, but nothing seemed to work. That wasn't good. Scorpius was a very light sleeper -- he should barely have been able to sleep through the presentation.

 

"Scorp!" Albus muttered urgently. "Scorp, wake up!"

 

But Scorpius didn't budge. Al was really starting to panic now. McGonagall had put her presentation on hold and was coming over to see what was going on.

 

"Is he alright?" she asked, peering at his apparently sleeping boyfriend.

 

"I don't know," Al said worriedly, biting his lip. "He's still breathing..." he stuck his fingers against Scorpius' neck and was relieved to find a pulse.

 

"... and his pulse is okay..."

 

There was nothing else for it. Grabbing his wand, he pointed it at Scorpius and muttered _rennervate._ He sighed in relief as Scorpius groaned and pushed himself up off the desk. Thank goodness they had covered healing magic in charms last week, and again in defense this morning.

 

Al was terrified to see that his eyes looked incredibly unfocused though. The normally silver eyes were streaked with pink, and Scorpius didn't seem aware of where he was at all. And then he started to sway.

 

" _Pulvinus_!" Al cried, casting a cushioning charm just as Scorpius swayed in the wrong direction and fell off his chair. Within moments he was down on the ground next to him, trying to wake him up again.

 

"I need to take him to Madam Pomfrey," Al muttered worriedly. He scooped Scorpius up into his arms, keeping his back straight as he stood, the way his mum had instructed him to do when lifting heavy weights. With a quick apology to professor McGonagall, he turned and rushed out the door.

 

The hospital wing was about 5 floors up from the classroom they'd been in. Al registered vaguely that it wasn't the best idea to have a hospital so high up, and that most students wouldn't be strong enough to carry their best friend up 5 flights of stairs. Not everyone had a strong enough levitation charm to safely carry a human, after all.

 

"Mr. Potter, what is -- is that Mr. Malfoy?" Madam Pomfrey rushed over to them as Al burst through the door to the hospital wing.

 

"He passed out during Headmistress McGonagall's presentation, I can't get him to wake up!" Al said urgently. Madam Pomfrey guided him over to an empty bed, where Al put Scorpius down gently.

 

"He seems to be breathing properly, and his pulse felt okay," Al said quickly. "I tried _rennervate_ , but he didn't seem to know where he was and passed out again a moment later."

 

"The _rennervate_ didn't work?" she said in surprise, pausing with her wand mid flourish. Al shook his head.

 

"Well then I'll have to run some diagnostics." She waved her wand in a sweeping motion down Scorpius' body, and a bunch of diagnostics materialized in blue writing, hovering above him.

 

"Woah," Al whispered, realising at the last moment that he should probably step back and give her some space.

 

"These are the basic diagnostics," she explained, noticing Al's interest. "This here," she indicated a spiky graph, "shows me his heart beat. It seems a little erratic considering he should be in very good shape, but nothing incredibly abnormal."

 

"This," she pointed at a few seemingly random numbers, "indicates his blood pressure, which is high at the moment."

 

"I think his all around pressure is high at the moment," Al sighed. "He's been so stressed that he doesn't eat, or sleep or take care of himself in anyway. That's what's wrong with him, isn't it?"

 

The matron looked surprised. "Actually yes. This here," she pointed at what looked like a melted spiral, "represents his magical core. It seems to have worn down, which is normal for a busy and active young man, but normally it would rejuvenate itself as he slept."

 

"So not since the summer," Al said sarcastically.

 

"This only looks like it's been 2 or 3 days, but it also seems to be a regular occurrence."

 

"Yeah, he's doing too much. I told him he can't do 9 NEWTs, and be Head boy and Quidditch captain all at once."

 

"I'll admit that that is a lot, but I've also seen students do that before, without wearing themselves down so much. His brain waves seem to be all over the place. Do you know if something has been worrying him? Mental stress can be just as hard on the body as physical stress."

 

Al frowned. What else could be weighing on Scorpius?

 

"Either way, there's not too much to be done for it but to let his body rest. I'll continue to monitor him, and even when he wakes up I'll keep him here until the holidays."

 

"Good," Albus said savagely. The Easter break was about a week away, and Al couldn't agree more that Scorp needed to spend a good chunk of time doing nothing but sleeping and eating.

 

"You can return to class now, Mr. Potter. I can take care of him."

 

Al bit his lip. He really didn't want to leave Scorpius.

 

"Could... could I stay?" he asked timidly. "It's just... we both know I won't pay a lick of attention in class anyway, I'll just be worrying about him. And, and, I'm sure I can help you out with stuff. If he's staying here for a while I can go get his pyjamas and stuff, and I can owl his dad for you?"

 

Madam Pomfrey considered him for a moment.

 

“Very well, Mr. Potter, you may stay. Your suggestions are rather good; I’d appreciate if you could bring his belongings, and send his father an owl. I would like for him to contact me, either by owl or in person, whenever might be convenient for him before the holidays. I suggest you bring something to keep you occupied as well -- I don’t expect Mr. Malfoy here to wake up until later tonight, if not tomorrow.”  


Al nodded, rushing out of the hospital wing to get his tasks completed, so that he could return to Scorpius. He dashed into their dorm, flinging himself down at his desk and grabbing a sheet of parchment and a quill. He thought for a moment about what Madam Pomfrey had asked, before he started to write.

 

_Draco,_

 

He frowned. It felt weird to address Mr. Malfoy by his first name, even though he had said to do so. Realising he had more important things to worry about, he pushed on.

 

_Scorpius is in the hospital wing right now. He fainted during class a little while ago. I think (and Madam Pomfrey agrees) that he’s just way too stressed and needs to let his body recover. Madam Pomfrey has said he should be fine once he wakes up, but that she would like to speak to you, either by owl or in person, before we head home for the break._

 

_I’ll stay with him until he wakes up, and keep you updated on what’s happening here._

 

_-Albus_

 

Skimming it quickly to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, Al folded the letter and shoved it into his bag, adding a few snacks and a couple of books, before grabbing Scorpius’ bag and starting to fill it with overnight essentials. Within minutes he was back out the door, making a quick detour to the owlery to send the letter, before rushing back to Scorpius’ side.

 

“My, that was quick,” Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as Al rushed back into the wing. “You contacted Mr. Malfoy?”

 

Al nodded. “I sent him an owl, and I brought Scorpius’ stuff. Has anything changed?”

 

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. “I still maintain that there must be something else stressing him out, but I’m not quite sure what. Did you noticed anything else amiss when you brought him up?”

 

“He, um, he seemed quite warm. Have you checked for fever?”

 

“I did. He has a slight temperature, but that doesn’t tell me much.”

 

“Um, his eyes were kind of red, in those few moments he opened them. Bloodshot, I think the word is.”

 

Madam Pomfrey looked like she’d suddenly had an idea.

 

“Well that is an interesting observation. Will you be sitting here with him while I tend to my other duties?”

 

Al nodded, and clearly satisfied, she left him without another word.

 

He must have been sitting there for about an hour, holding Scorpius’ hand and gently stroking his face, when a loud bang caused him to jump. He turned to see Draco rushing in, McGonagall hot on his heels.

 

“Scorpius!” Draco cried, pulling up short next to Al. “What happened?”

 

“Scorpius seems to have fainted in class today,” McGonagall explained calmly. “I haven’t had a chance to speak with Poppy here, but I’m sure she has more information for you.” She nodded at the Matron, who was approaching with a vial of potion.

 

“He’s overworking himself. Quidditch, Head Boy, 9 NEWTs, it’s a lot. If Albus here is to be believed, Scorpius doesn’t eat or sleep nearly enough, and his body has finally crashed.”

 

“Stupid boy,” Draco muttered, sitting down in the chair next to the bed and grabbing Scorpius’ hand.

 

“Minerva, Draco, would you join me in my office for a moment? Albus, I’ll ask you to pull up his diagnostics again, and let me know if anything changes.”

 

Al nodded, drawing his wand and casting the diagnostic spell as the others walked into the office. His eyes skimmed over the charts he’d been shown earlier, and noted that they were mostly the same. The spiral seemed a little less deflated. That meant that his magical core must be recovering again. Everything else looked identical to before, so he settled into the chair, glancing over at the door and wondering what they were discussing. Surely it had to be about Scorpius’ health?

 

Feeling extremely guilty, he reached into his bag and pulled out an extendable ear. He’d known as he was grabbing their stuff that there would be conversations he’d be excluded from. And normally he understood, patient confidentiality and all that, but Scorpius was _his_ boyfriend. Surely he had a right to know what was going on?

 

He levitated the ear over to the door, tuning in just in time to hear McGonagall speak.

 

“Oh, Draco, I’m so sorry.”

 

“Well, it’s not confirmed yet,” Madam Pomfrey said quickly. “I’ll have to speak to him when he wakes up, to see if he’s been feeling anything else, and run a full set of diagnostics.”

 

“He probably already knows,” Draco sighed. “If he’s been feeling anything else and not reporting it, it’s because he already knows. I’m sorry to say that I’ve taught my son a little too well how to hide things.”

 

“Perhaps Albus would know of anything?” Madam Pomfrey suggested. “They’re quite good friends, are they not?”

 

Albus heard Draco and McGonagall chuckle. “They’ve been more than friends for quite a while now, Poppy,” McGonagall pointed out. “You need to get out about the castle more.”

 

“Oh, clearly I do,” she sighed. “I was wondering about how insistent he was on staying by Scorpius’ side.”

 

“He reacted quite quickly in the classroom,” McGonagall said. “I had barely figured out what was going on when he’d tried a rejuvenate, checked his breathing and pulse, and then quite literally scooped him up in his arms and carried him all the way up here.”

 

“He thinks fast on his feet that one. Very much like his father, though more responsible for his age,” Al rolled his eyes. His dad was fighting a war at his age -- it didn’t get much more responsible than that.

 

“You have to keep in mind that Harry was fighting a war at that age,” Draco said softly, as if mirroring Al’s thoughts. “Thank Merlin our boys aren’t dealing with _that_ right now.”

 

“Oh, from what I’ve heard, Harry Potter is still a reckless danger magnet, war or no war.”Al chuckled as he realised Madam Pomfrey sounded very much like his Grandmother when she was gearing up for a rant. “Constantly getting injured on the job, the field healers are all on a first name basis with him now.”

 

“Yes, he’s quite fond of them,” Draco said, sounding rather grumpy. “But we’re getting off topic here. What shall I do with Scorpius?”

 

“I’m keeping him here until the holidays, and I’m going to insist you keep him in his bed during the break as well. We can make decisions about the larger issue once we have more information, but for now the obvious problem is that he needs rest. I know two weeks is going to seem like torture for an active young man like him, but his body will thank him in the long run.”

 

“I agree. I’ll come pick him up on Friday, right after classes end.”

 

“Very well. Draco, why don’t you go join Albus, I need to discuss something with Minerva here.”

 

Albus summoned the ear back in a flash, sticking it into his bag and turning his face towards Scorpius just as the office door opened. He schooled his features into a bored expression, before looking up at Mr. Mal- Draco.

 

“How is he?” he asked, motioning towards the diagnostics. Al jumped up, offering him his chair, before turning towards the figures he’d conjured.

 

“Apparently being asleep right now is helping him, he seems to be doing a bit better than he was an hour ago,” Al shrugged. “It looks like his magical core is fixing itself up again.”

 

He pointed at the lumpy spiral, and Draco nodded.

 

“Apparently his blood pressure is off too but I’m not too sure what normal would be.”

 

“Normal is anywhere between 90 over 60 and 120 over 80. Since he’s 130 over 80, he technically has high blood pressure, but in normal situations that wouldn’t be too worrying.”

 

“You make it sound like he’s not a normal situation,” Al said slowly, hoping Draco might tell him what everyone was worrying about. Unfortunately, Draco only sighed.

 

“I really hope it is a normal situation. His heartbeat and breathing seem okay at least.”

 

“How do you know all this?” Al asked curiously. He turned to face Draco and was surprised to see that another chair had been conjured for him. He sat down as Draco explained.

 

“Astoria was ill for a very long time. A chronic illness, it’s called. Something that lasts a lifetime. It wasn’t feasible to keep bringing her into the hospital every time she felt out of sorts, and considering how young Scorpius was at the time, constant trips like that would have just worried him more. So I took a course on basic healing, and learned how to check her diagnostics, among other things. That way we could tell if she was just feeling low, or if she _actually_ needed a trained healer.”

 

“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. To have to learn a whole new discipline, because your wife was suffering like that.”

 

Draco nodded. “It’s a very rewarding field to work in, as much as it might weigh on you. I’ll admit, I’ve spent my fair share of nights crying on your dad’s shoulder because of something that happened at the hospital. But the pain is worth the joy and healing I get to bring to those children every day. Just like the fear of losing her was worth the time I got to spend with my wife.”

 

He sighed as he looked up at Scorpius’ diagnostics.

 

“I just hope I don’t end up losing this one too.” Al’s stomach churned at the very thought. He wanted to tell Draco that he shouldn’t worry, that nothing was going to happen to Scorpius. But how could he possibly know that? The others seemed so worried that _something_ was wrong. What if it was? Was he going to lose his best friend, the same way Draco had?

 

“I hope so too,” he finally said, looking sadly at the still sleeping Scorpius. They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, before Draco spoke again.

 

“Do you know what all these different sections indicate?”

 

Al spent the next 10 minutes learning about basic healing from his boyfriend’s father, over his boyfriend’s limp body. Once they got started, he found it was surprisingly easy to talk to Draco. He was surprised to realise that they hadn’t spent much time together in the past, but even more surprised to learn how interesting all these facts about healing and the human body were to him. It was intriguing to learn about how interconnected the whole body was, and Al found himself thinking back on all the times he and his siblings had gotten sick, and why some of his grandma Molly’s seemingly nonsensical cures actually worked.

 

They were deep in conversation about heartbeats when Madam Pomfrey came over to them.

 

“All normal?” she asked Al, who nodded.

 

“Very well then. I don’t think there’s much to be done until he wakes up, so it’s really just a waiting game at this point gentlemen.”

 

“In that case, I guess I’ll just head home,” Draco said, standing up with a stretch. “It seems you lot have got this one under control,” he nodded at his son, before smiling at Al.

 

“Thanks for being there for him Albus. It means a lot.”

 

“O.. of course,” Al stammered, blushing at Draco’s acknowledgement. “I’ll… er… keep you updated?”

 

“I’d appreciate that. Thank you. Goodnight everyone.” They watched as he strode out of the hospital wing. The door had barely closed behind him when Madam Pomfrey turned her stern gaze back on him.

 

“I’m guessing you don’t want to go back to your dorm right now?” she asked. Al shook his head.

 

“I’d rather stay with him… please?”

 

“Very well. But you will be making yourself useful while you are here, am I understood?”

 

“Of course!” Al exclaimed, glad they weren’t kicking him out.

 

“I still expect you to attend all your classes,” Professor McGonagall said sternly. “But in your free time you are welcome to come visit with Scorpius and help Madam Pomfrey out with his care.”

 

Al nodded eagerly. He found he very much liked the idea of caring for Scorpius.

 

“Well, in that case, I have other matters to attend to. Goodnight Mr. Potter, Poppy.”

 

Al watched her go before turning back to Madam Pomfrey.

 

“You said you wanted me to help with stuff?”

 

“Yes. You can start by folding that cart of laundry over there. No magic please, many spells leave residual magic that can interact badly with certain magical injuries.”

 

Al sighed as he trooped over the to cart, pulling it up to the bed beside Scorpius’ before starting to fold.

 

\------------------------

 

Something had woken Al up. He wasn’t sure what though. He looked around, blinking at the darkness, though it wasn’t quite as dark out anymore. The first rays of sunlight were starting to creep in through the window. His watch told Al that it was about 5:30 in the morning. He smiled as looked down at it. His grandfather had been kind enough to get it repaired for him, and Al had been surprised to finally be able to read the inscription on the back when it was ready.   


_"A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be."_

 

Al had spent many long nights contemplating that quote, and why his dad had picked it. He'd come to the conclusion that it was his dad's own round-about way of telling him that he believed in Al, and that he was expecting great things from him. It had been terrifying at first, to think that  _Harry Potter_ of all people, thought so highly of him. But the more he'd thought about it, the more he realised that his dad hated being thought of as some mythical hero. Harry Potter may be a legend, but his dad was just... his dad. Someone who had always worked hard to be a great role-model for Al. After everything Harry had done for the world, and for their family, didn't Al owe it to him, to be the best man he could?

 

An owl hooted somewhere just outside the window, startling him out of his thoughts. He stretched out on the hospital bed, deciding that since he was awake he may as well check on Scorpius. He was glad Madam Pomfrey had let him stay the night, since the rest of the hospital was empty. Al strongly suspected it was because she didn’t want to have to get up to record his vitals every two hours, but it was a task he had happily accepted.

 

He had spent the evening folding laundry, reorganising potions cupboards, and creating an inventory list of all the medical supplies that needed to be ordered. It was mostly grueling grunt work, but he was also learning a lot. Madam Pomfrey had patiently explained the use of each unfamiliar potion to him, and one by one given him the names of all the unique new medical tools she had. He’d been stunned to learn exactly how many different shapes of plasters existed, and had laughed himself silly at the stories Madam Pomfrey told him about his dad, and how he had broken her record for most plasters needed during his time at Hogwarts.

 

He wandered over to Scorpius’ bed, taking a moment to admire how his golden hair shone in the soft morning sunlight. Merlin, he really did have it bad for his boyfriend, he thought as he reached for the chart. He was just about to cast the diagnostic spell when he noticed Scorpius fidgeting.

 

“Scorp?” he whispered gently. He watched fondly as Scorp woke up slowly, blinking his eyes open and giving a big yawn. Al was a little worried to note that his eyes still semed bloodshot.

 

“How are you feeling?” he asked, brushing a stray hair off of Scorpius’ face.

 

“Mmm. Sore,” he mumbled, turning his face to lean into Al’s hand. “Wha’ happened?”

 

“You collapsed in the middle of McGonagall’s lecture, and have been unconscious ever since,” Al explained, sending a subtle bell charm at Madam Pomfrey’s office to wake her up.

 

“Really? How long have I been out?” Scorpius seemed more alert now, and was trying to sit up.

 

“Hey, relax, you’re not going anywhere right now. It’s 5:30 in the morning, you slept all day yesterday, and then all night.”

 

“Finally awake I see,” came the Matron’s voice from behind them. “Welcome back to the land of the living Mr. Malfoy. How are you feeling?”

 

“Um, just a little stiff,” he mumbled as Al moved aside. Al frowned.

 

“You said you were feeling sore, not stiff,” he pointed out. Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow at Scorp.

 

“I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Scorp said quickly. “I had just woken up. I’m definitely stiff, not sore.”

 

“I don’t believe it,” Madam Pomfrey said curtly, checking him over. “Your father mentioned that you have a tendency to hide your pain.” She suddenly reached down and yanked his arm up. Scorp winced, and even Al could tell that the pain was more than being stiff from lying in bed.

 

"Mr. Potter, can I ask you to get me a dose of the muscle relaxant potion please?" she said, not even looking up from her examination of Scorpius. Al nodded, rushing over to the potions cabinet and measuring out a dose of the orange liquid, being sure to look at the markings on the beaker from the side and not from an angle, the way she had shown him last night. He hurried back over to Scorp, who took the potion without complaint.

 

"I'm going to have to look you over for bruises," the matron muttered as she made a few notes on her clipboard. "Mr. Potter, can you bring the curtains over for me? And you can start with removing your shirt Mr. Malfoy."

 

"What?" For some reason Scorpius did not like the idea of being checked over. "I don't have any bruises. I'd know about that!"

 

"You may not have had any a few days ago, but you've been unconscious for almost an entire day. We're still not sure what's wrong with you, so I won't exclude any possibilities. You can remove your shirt, or I can do it for you."

 

"Why can't I just check myself? I promise I'll tell you if anything is amiss."

 

"You've already lied to me once," she said sternly. "That promise doesn't hold much weight anymore."

 

Al bit his lip as he pulled the rolling frame with the privacy curtains up to the bed. He wasn't sure why the idea of an examination was upsetting Scorp this much, but he hated the worried look in his boyfriend's eyes.

 

"I'm sorry!" Scorpius was still begging with her, and Al realised that even Madame Pomfrey seemed concerned now. She glanced up at Al, before looking down at Scorp with a heavy sigh.

 

"If you're not comfortable with me doing it, I'm willing to allow Mr. Potter to step in. But by hook or by crook someone _will_ check that you don't have any bruises."

 

Scorpius looked up at Al, whose heart broke at the fear in those wide grey eyes. Finally Scorp nodded, staring down at his lap.

 

"Al can do it," he said softly. Madam Pomfrey nodded, pulling the curtains closed around the two of them.

 

"Make sure you check _everywhere_ ," she said, giving Al a pointed look. Al nodded, blushing, and she pulled the curtains along the last stretch of their frame.

 

"I'll be in my office when you're done," she called, and they listened for a moment as her footsteps retreated.

 

"Scorp, what's wrong?" Al asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Why is this scaring you so much?"

 

Scorpius just shook his head, focusing on undoing his buttons. He was still wearing his uniform from the day before. Al reached down to where his bag was sitting on the floor, and pulled out a pair of pyjamas for him. When he finally removed his shirt, Al couldn't help taking a moment to admire how wonderful Scorpius looked.

 

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, raking his eyes over Scorpius' torso. He lifted Scorp's arm gently, inspecting the flawless skin for bruises. He finally climbed up onto the bed behind him, running his fingers gently down his back before confirming that there were no bruises in sight.

 

"Here," he said, handing Scorp the fresh pyjama top.

 

"Shouldn't I be putting on a fresh uniform, if it's morning?"

 

"You've been confined to bed rest until the end of the holidays," Al said guiltily. "You may as well be comfortable. And take your trousers off, I still have to check your legs."

 

Scorpius groaned, reaching out for the shirt. "Can't you just tell her I'm fine?" he grumbled. Al shook his head.

 

"You really haven't been looking out for yourself recently," he pointed out. "I'm sure she has a good reason to check for bruises, and if you can't be trusted to take care of yourself, then I will."

 

Scorp looked up at him, his shirt only half buttoned.

 

"You don't know why she wants to check?" he asked in surprise.

 

Al shook his head. "Care to enlighten me?"

 

Scorpius just looked back down at his buttons. "One day. Maybe. But not today."

 

"That's fine. But take of your trousers."

 

"Trying to get in my pants, eh?" Scorpius laughed, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

 

"That'll have to come afterwards. After all, she did say that I should check _everywhere,_ " Al leered down at his boyfriend, who started laughing in earnest as he slipped his trousers off.

 

"Care to give me a foot massage while you're down there?" Scorpius teased, wiggling his toes. Al smiled, and actually took a few minutes to rub Scorp's feet while he let his eyes wander all over his legs.

 

"Okay, turn over," he said finally, looking over the back of Scorp's legs once he did. He reached up, fingering the waistband of his pants.

 

"Are you okay with me taking these down a bit?" he asked tentatively. Scorpius nodded over his shoulder, before burying his face in the pillow. All pulled his pants down to his thighs, double checking that there were no bruises on his bum. Taking a deep breath, he took hold of Scorpius' hips and turned him over gently.

 

"No bruises here," he whispered, his face much closer to Scorp's cock than it needed to be. He lifted it gently with one hand, making a show of checking the underside.

 

"Looks perfect to me," he said softly, glancing up to see that Scorp was blushing furiously. He was tempted to give it a few firm strokes right there, but realised at the last moment that Madam Pomfrey could come back at any moment. With a sigh he let go, slipping off the bed and handing Scorpius the rest of his fresh clothes.

 

"I'll go let her know that your skin is clear," Al mumbled, slipping through the curtains. It took all his self control not to turn back and snog Scorp senseless right there on the bed when Scorp whined, but he held firm and kept walking towards Madam Pomfrey's office. He was only a few steps away when the door opened and she stepped out.

 

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Did you find anything?"

 

Al shook his head, not trusting his voice at the moment.

 

"Well, that's good news. Thank you for agreeing to help."

 

"Yeah, um, anything for Scorp."

 

"Actually, I'd like to talk with you for a moment before we go back to Mr. Malfoy. I wanted to ask, do you have any thoughts on what you'd like to do as a career yet?"

 

Al sighed. "Not really. There were a few things Headmistress McGonagall mentioned during her presentation yesterday that sounded interesting, but I didn't get to hear the whole thing."

 

"Yes, having a loved one faint next to you tends to make it hard to focus on an information session. Tell me, have you ever considered healing, Mr. Potter?"

 

"As a profession? Um, not really. I mean, it seems cool and all, but, well, don't healers have to be really smart?"

 

"The field does require a lot more study and practice than most," she conceded. "But anyone can be taught anatomy and healing magic with enough patience. What can't be taught is quick thinking and compassion, both of which you have demonstrated very clearly since yesterday."

 

Al blushed, unsure how to respond to that.

 

"I have a friend from healer training, who is now head of the emergency response unit at St. Mungo's. It's a small team of healers who go out into the field to respond to emergency calls from people who can't make it into the hospital, either bringing them back in or helping them out on scene. They work very closely with the aurors, though they also respond to civilian calls."

 

"My friend told me that she's looking for an intern, either in 7th year or newly graduated, who'd be willing to work with them over the easter break and on odd weekends, and then start full time in the summer. I'd like to recommend you for the opportunity."

 

Al knew he was staring at her, his jaw hanging wide open, but he couldn't quite bring himself to respond. She thought _he_ would make a good healer?

 

"You don't have to decide right away," she added, when he didn't respond. "I will say that emergency healers do very different work from regular healers, but it's still a very good place to start. I'd also love to have you helping out a few days a week in here if you want to experience a more traditional style of healing. But again, that's entirely up to you. If you don't think healing is quite the way you want to go, there's no pressure to accept."

 

"No," Al said suddenly. "I mean, yes! Yes, I'd love to do the internship, and to work with you. I, um, I think healing actually sounds like a really cool career."

 

"Wonderful. I'll send Leanne an owl later today. Now, the elves should be bringing breakfast up in a bit, why don't you go get dressed for the day. You can eat with Mr. Malfoy if you'd like and then the Headmistress had ordered that you attend class as normal."

 

Al nodded, running down to the dungeons to shower and change before heading back upstairs. Scorpius was already sitting up with a tray in front of him, and there was another balanced on the nightstand next to him, presumably for Albus.

 

"I cannot remember the last time I had breakfast in bed," Scorp frowned, picking at a bowl of berries. "She won't even let me have coffee."

 

"You drink too much coffee," Al sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just enjoy the juice."

 

"Yes mum," Scorp grumbled. Al dug into his own pancakes, but Scorp still seemed upset.

 

"Hey, what's worrying you so much?" Al asked. Scorp shook his head again, staring at the apparently offensive berries. Al let it go, though he did reach out and place a reassuring hand on Scorp's thigh.

 

"I overheard you talking to Madam Pomfrey earlier," he said finally. "About that internship."

 

Al nodded, waiting to see what Scorpius thought of it.

 

"I think it's a great idea," Scorpius said, smiling up at Al. "You'd make an awesome healer.”

 

“You really think so?”

 

Scorpius nodded, abandoning the berries and biting into his toast. “You’re clever enough, but you’re also patient. My… Papa used to care for mum a lot, and I remember always being stunned at how patient he was with her. You… you’d be good at that.”

 

“It sounds like a cool opportunity. But if it would take the entire easter break… I might not get to spend a lot of time with you.”

 

Scorpius laughed. “Apparently I’m going to be stuck in bed all week, with Papa fussing over me. You can visit whenever your shifts end, or before you start, or in the middle of the damn night and I’ll still be right there.”

 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Al grinned.

 

\-----------------------

 

_March 20, 2024_

 

“Papa, I’m fine!” Scorpius groaned. It was Wednesday of the Easter break, and he was already going spare, being stuck in bed and basically waited on, hand and foot, by his father.

 

Al visited after work every day, regaling him with stories about his adventures with the field healers, and then taking a moment to check his body over for bruises. He still hadn’t told Al why they were doing that, but it was much less awkward to have his boyfriend inspect his body than his father, especially considering they had to look _everywhere_. He would have happily done it himself, but his father was still a little upset that he had been taking such shit care of his own body, and didn’t quite trust him to be honest yet. Though if he really thought about it, Scorpius knew deep down that he would have tried to hide any bruises if they’d appeared, in an effort not to upset his father. As it was, his body had remained clear so far, and with every day that passed, they both seemed to be relaxing more and more about the whole situation.

 

“Fine is not enough! You need to be well!” Draco cried, still trying to feed Scorpius the third smoothie that day. Every day his father ended up with a new idea of what might make Scorpius feel well, and spent the whole day fixating on it. Yesterday had been turmeric -- Scorpius had eaten turmeric cookies and turmeric muffins and drank turmeric soup and turmeric milk. The day before, Draco had been convinced that Scorpius wasn’t warm enough, which had resulted in Scorpius sweating his arse off under the weight of 10 blankets and 17 heating charms. Scorpius was almost certain that Harry and Albus were responsible for sticking these odd ideas in Draco’s head, and that they were having a good laugh at his expense.

 

“Papa, I’m doing great! I don’t need the smoothies. You can tell Harry thanks for the tip, but it’s not helping. And the next fad he and Albus try to convince you of tomorrow will also be just that: a fad!”

 

“How did you know Harry told me about the smoothies?” Draco asked, finally putting the cup down and sitting on the bed next to him.

 

“Papa, they’ve been sticking useless ideas in your head about how to cure me, and then they spend the day out in the field laughing at my expense while you try to convince me that pureed fruits and vegetables are magically better than the original deal.”

 

Draco scared at him for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

 

“Have they really?” he chuckled, finally vanishing the horrid smoothie. “And I fell for it too. Oh my, I’m sorry Scorpius. I genuinely thought all these things might help.”

 

Scorpius smiled, finally joining in with his father’s laughter.

 

“I know papa. And I’m really glad you’re here for me. But please stop trying to drown me in smoothies!”

 

“I can do that. Is there anything else you want?”

 

Scorpius shook his head and faked a wide yawn. “I think I could use a nap,” he lied. “Something about sitting in bed all day just makes me want to sleep more.”

 

“Okay. Did you check for bruises today?” Draco asked, getting up from the bed.

 

Scorpius nodded. “I did, but I’ll have Al check again when he gets here later, since you don’t want to believe me.”

 

“It’s your own fault for not telling me how poorly you were feeling in the first place,” Draco shrugged. “Anyway, have your nap, I’ll wake you up when Albus gets here.”

 

Scorpius watched his father leave, listening carefully for the sound of his footsteps retreating down the hall before reaching over and pulling an old leather-bound journal from inside the drawer of his bedside table. He opened it to where he had last marked his page with a red ribbon, and continued to read.

 

_April 25, 2012_

_Astoria was moving slowly again today. It’s been almost a month since she’s felt strong enough to keep up with Scorpius out in the yard; she keeps sending me to go catch him for dinner. After a bit of coaxing, she admitted that she’s been feeling sore, particularly in her hips, and in her back. She found a bruise just above her left knee this morning - that’s the 10th one this month. I’m almost finished with the new potion: I realised that salamander blood and ginseng will be good for the soreness, and a muggle text I was reading last night gave me the idea of adding salt, to help preserve the shelf life of the potion. It’s going to taste like crap, but I hope it can ease her pain a little._

_I haven’t been able to isolate a sample of the curse yet, and it’s not going to be easy to convince her to let me take another sample of her blood. She insists that I spend too much time in the lab, but I’m trying to cure her - no cost would be too great for that, and a few hours of my day is nothing. I wish she would agree to move to France, or even just another house. The dark magic still lingers, and she’s so sensitive to it; I’m sure that’s a part of why her illness is progressing so quickly. Part of me thinks I should never had agreed to marry her, knowing it would mean bringing her into this miserable house. But I can’t imagine my life without her. Which is why I need to figure out how to cure this blood curse._

 

“Hey, what’s that?” Scorpius jumped as Al walked into his room. He tried to shove his father’s old journal under the covers, but Al had already seen it.

 

“Nothing, just reading. How was work today?”

 

“It was great, but first I wanna know what you were reading. You never pass up the chance to tell me about a new book. Why are you suddenly being secretive?”

 

“I’m just bored,” Scorpius shrugged. “It’s not a very interesting read.”

 

“You were so into it you didn’t even hear me come in.” Al flopped onto the bed next to Scorpius and started rooting around under the covers for the journal.

 

“Al, no, stop!” Scorpius cried, trying to stop his boyfriend. Al gave in, and sat up.

 

“Scorp, what are you hiding from me? I’m worried. You’re really ill, and everyone seems to know what’s causing it except me.”

 

Scorpius stared at him, before sighing. He picked up his wand and waved it at the door, locking and silencing it, before handing the journal to Al.

 

“I might have inherited my mother’s blood curse,” he said quietly as Al flipped the journal open. The journal was suddenly forgotten as Al looked up at him with wide eyes.

 

“One of her very early symptoms was sore muscles and random bruises all over her body. Papa documented it all meticulously, and did a lot of research on how to soothe, and eventually cure her. He didn’t make it that far before the curse finally won out, though.”

 

Scorpius had been acting cheerful for the past week, as if this possibility didn’t bother him at all. But now that he was explaining it to Al, he could feel dread welling up inside him. What if they found a bruise today? Or tomorrow? Or some time in the future? What if he developed other symptoms? How would he be able to tell his father?

 

“So you nicked his old journal, because you’re scared to talk to him about it, but you want all the information you can possibly find,” Al pointed out, flipping through the journal again.

 

Scorpius could only stare. How did his boyfriend know him so well?

 

“So that’s why we’ve been checking for bruises every day. Do you want to check again now?”

 

Scorpius shook his head. “I really don’t want to think about it right now. Tell me about your day, please?”

 

Al nodded, scooting up to sit next to Scorpius.

 

“Today was business as usual for the most part. We had an emergency call first thing in the morning, but it was more of a potion contamination issue than an actual medical emergency, so we got the spills and cleanups crew out there and left it up to them. Then, just as we were deciding what to order for lunch, we got a call about an auror injured in the field. I got Leanne to buy my lunch, because I bet that it was Dad and she said there was no possible way he’d injured himself for the fourth day in a row. Apparently this is a new record even for Dad.”

 

Scorpius laughed at that. He’d been hearing about Harry’s reckless auror work all week, and how Al somehow ended up attending each and every single call. So far Harry had managed to dislocate his shoulder, slice his hand open, and get himself stunned.

 

“So what did Harry do today?” Scorpius asked. Al groaned.

 

“Embarrassed me, that’s what. He splinched himself, Scor! The great fucking Harry Potter tried to apparate back to the office from a crime scene and left his foot behind!”

 

Scorpius was roaring with laughter at that. He could just imagine Harry’s sheepish face as Al fixed his foot.

 

“But that’s not even the best part!” Al cried, now laughing as well. “Whenever someone splinches themselves, we have to report it to the apparition office at the Ministry, and it goes on their licence as a strike. Three strikes, and you have to retake the course and get a new licence. So we reattach his foot, apply a bit of dittany and a plaster to the scar, it’s right as new, and then Leanne gave me the forms to fill out. So I ask my dad, casual as you please, ‘hey Dad, what’s your apparition licence number?’. You won’t believe his answer.”

 

“Was it 69696969?” Scorpius giggled. Al started laughing again.

 

“ _That_ would have been less embarrassing for him. He blushes, looks down at his newly repaired foot, and mumbles _I don’t have one._ ”

 

“No!”

 

“You can’t make this stuff up, Scor! He’s been an auror for _decades_ , and he doesn’t have a bloody apparition licence! His test got delayed because of the war, and he just never got around to doing it later.”

 

“But how did he get hired without a licence?” Scorpius asked.

 

“Beats me,” Al shrugged. “But Uncle Ron was standing right there; he heard the whole conversation and he was furious. So Dad is now sitting at home, on unpaid probationary leave, and will be taking his first ever apparition test on Friday.”

 

“Oh man, that’s classic. Sounds like you had a crazy day.”

 

“Oh, that wasn’t it!” Al laughed. “The afternoon wasn’t quite as funny, but it was still really cool. I got to help deliver a baby!”

 

“No way! That’s awesome Al!”

 

Al nodded, beaming with pride. “The lady had been home alone, and since she was already way past her due date, her healers had put her on bed rest for over a week. So of course, when she got up to try and get to the hospital, the poor thing fell and twisted her ankle. We couldn’t just reset it magically, since we weren’t sure how the magic would affect the baby, so we had to deliver the baby right there in her bedroom.”

 

“Man, having children sounds complicated,” Scorpius frowned. “I hear it’s messy too.”

 

“Yeah, the place looked like a murder scene by the end of it, but the little girl was adorable. They named her Jasmine.”

 

“Wow, Al. I’m so glad this opportunity is going well for you.”

 

“Me too. I think I’m really going to enjoy a career as a healer.” They fell silent for a few minutes, before Al spoke again.

 

“It might also be helpful in the future… if, you know, you do end up… um, if it turns out you did inherit the blood curse.”

 

Scorpius felt his mood drop at the mention of the damn curse again. His Papa had taken up healing when his mum had fallen ill, and now it seemed like such a parallel that Al was doing the same thing.

 

“We may as well check for bruises, since you’re here,” Scorpius sighed, taking off his t-shirt. He reached under the covers and pulled his pyjama pants down too, no longer shy about undressing in front of Al. Al nodded, and sat up straight, immediately checking over Scorpius’ back. Within a minute he had confirmed that there were no bruises, and Scorpius was about to put his pyjamas back on, when Al stopped him.

 

“Scorp? Do you remember what you said about wanking together? Or even… um, getting each other off?”

 

Scorpius nodded slowly, unsure where Al was trying to go with this. They had already tried it a couple of times, lying in the same bed at school and getting off while telling each other about their filthiest fantasies. But that had been in the dark, whispering furtively under a silencing charm and trying to balance in the Hogwarts single beds. He wasn’t seriously suggesting they try that now… was he?

 

It turned out he was. Al reached a tentative hand out, stopping just as he reached Scorpius’ cock.

 

“May I?” he asked quietly. Scorpius nodded once, holding his breath as Al gripped his shaft firmly, and gave it a slow stroke.

 

“Tell me… about one of… your fantasies,” Scorpius said breathily. It was usually him who did the dirty talking, but right now, he just wanted to hear the sound of Al’s voice.

 

“One of my fantasies?” Al sounded surprised, but he didn’t falter his rhythm. He thought for a moment, before he started talking.

 

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot recently,” Al said gently. “I’ve been thinking about having you like this, naked and laid back, while I do whatever I want. I could have my wicked way with you and you’d just go with it, wouldn’t you? What if I were to tease you? Bring you so close to the edge, and then just… stop.”

 

Scorpius whined as Al’s hand suddenly disappeared. He glared at his boyfriend, who only chuckled.

 

“But there’s one thing I’ve really been wanting to do recently. I’ve been wondering…” Al leaned forward, his eyes on Scorpius’ now rock hard cock. “What do you taste like Scorpius?”

 

Scorpius’ eyes widened as Al leaned forward even more, his tongue darting out from between his lips and tasting the head of Scorpius’ cock. Scorpius moaned, letting his head fall back as Al did it again. Soon enough, Al was sucking on the tip, his hand stroking along Scorpius’ shaft again. Scorpius could hear himself making all sorts of noises, but at the moment he couldn’t bring himself to care. Al’s mouth was warm and soft, and it was taking all his self control not to buck up into his mouth, which Scorpius was sure would choke his boyfriend. It wasn’t long before he felt his orgasm building.

 

“Al, I’m gonna… ahh!” Al slipped the head of Scorpius’ cock out his mouth and gave it two more strokes before Scorpius was coming all over Al’s hand. Al had a smug grin on his face, and offered his hand to Scorpius.

 

“So you do taste good. Wanna try?”

 

Scorpius swatted the come-covered hand away from his face, grabbing his wand and cleaning them both up.

 

“That’s gross, Al! Anyways, I’d rather see how you taste.” He waggled his eyebrows at his boyfriend, sitting up and pulling Al down on top of him. Al came easily, capturing Scorpius’ mouth for a passionate kiss. Scorpius bucked his hips against Al’s, trying to get some friction, and realised that Al was still completely clothed, while he was naked as the day he’d been born.

 

“Do you wanna take this off?” he mumbled into Al’s mouth. Al nodded, pulling back and quickly divesting of his shirt. Scorpius’ eyes bulged at the sight in front of him. He’d been thinking lately that something about Al was different, but this… his once lanky boyfriend was _ripped_. He reached up, caressing Al’s now firm pecs in wonder.

 

“Have you been working out?” he demanded. “And how did I not know about it?”

 

Al shrugged. “You’ve been busy.”

 

Scorpius felt heavy again. Had he really been so busy that he hadn’t even noticed his boyfriend suddenly start working out?

 

“I’m sorry Al,” he whispered, pulling his boyfriend down for a cuddle. “I’ve been a shit boyfriend lately, haven’t I? You’re always there for me, but instead of spending time with you I keep running off to do other things.”

 

“Hey, it’s no big deal. I get it, you’re busy,” Al said softly. “I’m actually really proud of all the amazing things you do every day. I started working out because… well, I wanted you to be proud of me too.”

 

“Al, I’ve always been proud of you, regardless of what you look like. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad you’re taking care of your body, and you look incredible, but you were perfect before as well.”

 

“I think that’s kind of why I didn’t tell you,” Al sighed. “I didn’t want you to keep telling me that I didn’t have to do this, that I looked fine the way I was. I didn’t want you to have to settle for me.”

 

Scorpius felt guilt clawing at his gut. He clearly hadn’t been paying Al enough attention if his boyfriend was underestimating his worth like that.

 

“Al, you need to listen to me. You are my best friend. You have a literal heart of gold, and you take such good care of me. You think fast on your feet, and you’re always thinking ahead to how your actions will affect others. You’re the perfect height to cuddle into my neck, whether we’re standing or otherwise, and I just learned today that you also give amazing blowjobs.”

 

Al was blushing at all the praise, but that didn’t stop Scorpius. “When you kiss me, I feel like I’m flying. Even just holding your hand feels safe to me. There are so many lovely things about you, and I’m so sorry that I haven’t been reminding you every single day how special you really are. You are my world, Albus Severus Potter, and I won’t _ever_ be _settling_ for you.”

 

Al buried his face in Scorpius’ neck, unused to so much praise. _That’s gotta change_ , Scorpius thought, stroking Al’s soft, jet black hair. _Al is absolutely perfect, and_ _I’m never going to let him forget it, ever again._

 

\------------------------------------------

 

_June 8, 2024_

 

Scorpius’ eyes trailed over the beautifully decorated ballroom. There were crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings, and the walls were draped in gold and purple. Ornate centerpieces topped each table, and the room was full of towering displays of white and purple roses, orchids, lilies, and a whole host of other flowers that Scorpius couldn’t bother name at the moment, because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Al. His tight dress shirt was really showing off his newly toned chest, and the plum coloured vest gave him a sense of authority, like a powerful businessman strutting around the place. Except Al wasn’t a businessman, he was the best man at his brother’s wedding, and he wasn’t strutting so much as running all over the place.

 

“Hey,” Al called in his direction, waving him over. He gave Scorpius a quick kiss, before turning his attention back to the wizard he was talking to.

 

“The ceremony just ended, and people will be arriving any minute. What do you mean the drinks haven’t arrived?” Al demanded.

 

“Our delivery team is short staffed today, Mr. Potter, they should be landing any moment but it will take a while to unpack all the heavy crates. I assure you the bartenders will do their best to be serving drinks as soon as possible.”

 

“Fine, keep me update on the situation,” Al sighed, and the man nodded before walking away.

 

“Some manager he is, that’s the third thing that’s gone wrong in 20 minutes. Apparently they switched chefs at the last minute and the guy is behind because he can’t keep the dietary restrictions of all the Quidditch players straight, and they overbooked the hotel, so we don’t actually have enough rooms for all the guests who wanted to stay.”

 

Al seemed to be getting worked up as he spoke, and Scorpius put an arm around his waist, pulling him close.

 

“Hey, it’s okay, we’ll figure it out,” he said soothingly.

 

Al nodded, a determined look on his face. “I think I have a plan. I’m going to find the delivery guys and ask them to unpack the champagne first, so that there’s something for everyone to toast with when James and Teddy walk in and during their speeches. The elves in the kitchen here seem really competent, so I’m not too worried about that, but even if the quidditch players get the wrong meals, they’ll honestly eat anything, it won’t be the end of the world. As for the rooms, we’re going to have to double a few people up. I’m going to give Rose, Lily and Hugo the larger room that I was originally keeping for our Dads. Hugo’s gonna be annoyed since I had originally promised him his own room, but he’ll get over it. I’ll escort Grandma and Grandpa, and Grandma Andy home at the end of the night, so that’s 2 less rooms we need there. And we’ll have to share too,” he added shyly.

 

“Honestly, I don’t know why we weren’t already doing that,” Scorpius grinned. “It seems like you’ve got everything under control then. Anything I can help with?”

 

10 minutes later, Scorpius was regretting asking. He was now stuck on seating duty with Lily and Rose. He was meeting most of Al’s extended family for the first time, and they all seemed rather weary of him. Rose and Lily kept encouraging him, telling him that it wasn’t as bad as he was making it out to be, but as more guests started filing in, he had less and less time to chat with them. Finally they were scampering to their own seats, having seen James and Teddy coming down the hall. Al slipped in from Merlin knows where, striding confidently over to the microphone at the front of the room and announcing the new couple.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses for the new couple, Teddy and James!”

 

Everyone turned towards the door and cheered as the band started playing a cheerful tune that Scorp vaguely recognised as one of Celestina Warbeck’s more recent love songs, and Teddy and James danced their way over to their table, where their parents were already seated.

 

“I thought I was your date tonight!” Lily teased, and Scorpius blushed when he realised he’d been staring at Al the whole time.

 

“You’re right, I’m sorry. How have you been? Feeling ready for exams next week?”

 

They spent the next few minutes chatting about school, and the NEWTs that Lily was considering trying for. They eventually drew Rose and Hugo into their conversation, and before they knew it the four of them were having a heated debate about the merits of doing a mastery after Hogwarts before entering the workforce.

 

“Well considering the job market right now, it’s a little difficult to get anything other than an internship straight out of Hogwarts,” Scorpius pointed out. “A mastery puts you ahead, and opens up even more options.”

 

“But it’s more schooool,” Hugo moaned.

 

“You’d better gear up for a lot more studying if you wanna be a magizoologist,” Rose warned. “There’s only so much you’ll pick up in care of magical creatures.”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Hugo sighed. “Man, the things we do for our careers.”

 

Just then a team of servers filed in, large golden trays in their hands. They flitted around, placing beautifully plated appetizers in front of the guests. Scorpius’ mouth watered at the sight of the cheese oozing out of the stuffed peppers in front of him.

 

“Is there someone seated here, sir?” a server asked, pointing to the empty seat next to Scorpius.

 

“Um, there should be,” Scorpius frowned, looking around for Al. Unable to spot his boyfriend, he turned back to the server, who had one plate left on his tray.

 

“He should be back soon, you can just leave his plate here. He’s the best man, so he keeps dashing off to tend to some emergency or other.”

 

The server nodded, placing the plate on the table. Scorpius cast a warming charm over it, wondering where Albus could have gotten to.

 

A few minutes later, he saw Al slip in through the door behind the bar with the hotel’s manager in tow. Scorpius kept an eye on them as he continued to eat, hoping there wasn’t something else going wrong.

 

“The lighting sequence is all wrong,” Al grumbled, when he finally slumped into his seat. He took a bite of the peppers, before looking down in horror.

 

“These were supposed to be filled with rice and beef, not quinoa and beans!” he whined. “The quinoa and beans were only supposed to be for those who requested a vegetarian option!”

 

“It’s delicious either way,” Scorpius pointed out. “I really don’t think anyone minds.”

 

Al sighed, forking another bite into his mouth before jumping up again.

 

“They’re supposed to have servers circulating with pitchers of water!” Scorpius heard him grumble as he stalked off again.

 

The rest of the night continued in a similar vein. Every time poor Albus got a moment to sit down and enjoy the wedding, something else seemed to go wrong or need his attention. There were extended family members who got into loud arguments, the photographer didn’t seem interested in taking pictures of anyone other than the Quidditch players, the band seemed unable to stick to the set list they had been given, and the hotel staff just seemed all around incompetent. Scorpius and Lily tried their best to help Al with whatever they could, but eventually they were resigned to just hanging about while he handled everything impressively well.

 

“Stop making moon eyes at my brother and come dance,” Lily sighed, holding her hand out to Scorpius. He laughed, allowing himself to be pulled out onto the dance floor. They had barely been up for a moment when the music shifted to a slower song.

 

“Still wanna dance to this?” he asked. Lily shrugged, and he guided her into a simple waltz. She seemed delighted at first that she was able to keep up with the steps, but soon started rolling her eyes when she noticed Scorpius looking for Al again.

 

“You really like him, don’t you?” she asked curiously. “You haven’t taken your eyes off him all night.”

 

Scorpius grinned sheepishly, looking back down at his dance partner. “I do,” he said softly. “I’m not sure how to explain it, but… he just makes me really happy. You know?”

 

Lily shrugged again. “Not really, but I guess that’s good. Are you guys… are you still gonna be together after you graduate?”

 

Scorpius frowned. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that they might stop dating after school. Now that Lily had pointed it out, he really couldn’t imagine himself dating anyone else.

 

“I haven’t heard any plans to the contrary,” he said carefully. “At this point, I can’t really imagine my life without him.”

 

“Hmm. Maybe I’ll be the best man at your wedding in a few years’ time,” she said slyly. Scorpius’ eyes widened as he realised what she was suggesting, but after thinking about it for a moment, he realised that he would absolutely love that.

 

“I think we’d have to give it at least a few years to get our careers off the ground, but I think I’d like that one day.”

 

“What DO you wanna do?” she asked curiously. “No one ever seems to get a straight answer out of you. Even Al said he’s not sure what your plans are.”

 

Scorpius considered her for a moment. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said that she was like his own sister. Surely he could share the news with her?

 

“I actually got an offer, this morning. For an internship at the ministry. I’m going to be a research assistant in the department of mysteries.”

 

Lily’s eyes widened at that. “Oh Scorp, congrats! That’s so incredible!”

 

Scorpius smiled. “I’m kind of relieved. I found out about the position in 5th year, and I’ve been itching to apply ever since. Apparently they only hire one person every year.”

 

“What will you be researching?” she asked curiously.

 

“Blood magic. I know Papa was doing his own research when I was a kid. He was trying to stop the curse that killed my mum.”

 

“Oh wow, that must be a loaded topic for you.”

 

Scorpius nodded. “It means a lot to me though. I found out recently that he blames himself for her death, for not having found a way to reverse the family’s blood curse on time.” Scorpius shuddered as he remembered reading through his father’s journals. He’d felt incredibly guilty in doing so, but Draco had been meticulous about documenting every detail of Astoria’s illness, and all the information he had gathered that could have helped her. It had helped Scorpius put together a project proposal as part of his application, and apparently the ministry had liked it. Now all he had to do was admit to his father that his private journals had gotten Scorpius his dream job.

 

“May I cut in?” Came a voice from behind him. Scorpius turned to find Al standing behind him, smiling with his hand out.

 

“Yes please,” Lily sighed. “These heels are killing me, and either way, it’s a bit embarrassing when your date can’t keep his eyes off your brother.”

 

Al burst out laughing at that, sweeping Scorpius into his arms as Lily marched away. They fell into an easy waltz, though Scorpius couldn’t help pushing himself a lot closer to Al than he had to Lily.

 

“Seems like someone’s been missing me,” Al teased. Scorpius didn’t bother denying it.

 

“I can’t help it. You look so hot in that plum coloured vest, standing tall, ordering people around and gesturing with your powerful arms.”

 

Al blushed. “I’m just trying to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

 

“And you’re doing an amazing job of it,” Scorpius said proudly. They danced on in silence for a moment, and as the song ended, Scorpius couldn’t help leaning in and kissing Al.

 

“OKay, that’s it,” Al mumbled, grabbing Scorpius’ hand and pulling him out of the ballroom. Scorpius only had a moment to wonder what was happening before he was shoved into the loo. It was a rather glamorous room, with dark marble sinks and low lighting. Al shoved him up against the dark wall, and Scorpius couldn’t help shuddering at the predatory look in his eyes.

 

“Think you can just spend all evening teasing me like that, do you?” Al growled, placing rough kisses and soft bites along Scorpius’ neck. Scorp moaned, letting his head fall back as Al ground his hips forward.

 

“Sitting around… looking absolutely perfect… those delicate lips of yours pouting at me from across the room.” Scorp was breathing hard as Al cupped his hands around his bum and pulled his hips even closer.

 

“Been wanting you all evening, wanting to drag you up to our room and mess up your perfect hair, and your perfect suit.”

 

“Yesss,” Scorpius moaned, reaching between them for Al’s zip. It wasn’t long before he had both their cocks out, holding them together with frantic strokes.

 

“I don’t think so,” Al said, batting Scorp’s hand away and replacing it with his own, tantalizingly slow strokes.

 

“Please, Al,” Scorpius rocked forward into Al’s hand, but Al used his other hand to hold his hips in place.

 

“Slow and steady wins the race, baby,” Al whispered in his ear. “Look down. Watch the tip of your perfect cock disappear into my hand, again… and again… and again…”

 

Scorpius forced his eyes down, moaning again as Al’s hand sped up just a little bit to match the speed of his words. He tried bucking his hips forward again, hoping to get a bit more friction.

 

“Someone’s impatient today,” Al chuckled, running his hand through Scorp’s hair. He grabbed a fistful and tugged gently, pulling Scorpius’ head back and exposing even more of his neck.

 

“You have the most beautiful skin,” Al breathed along his neck. “I’d love to see all of it, laid bare for me. Every inch of your milky white body underneath me.”

 

“Yes, Al, please,” Scorpius whined, grabbing at fistfuls of Al’s sleeve. He was so close…

 

“Look at you, so desperate for me. I wanna fuck you Scorp. Can I?”

 

Scorpius’ eyes flew open at Al’s request. Was he really suggesting…?

 

But there was no question about it. One look in Al’s eyes, fierce but somehow still gentle, gave him his answer.

 

“Yes, oh my god, yes Al! Please fuck me, please…”

 

“I should take you upstairs right now, have you screaming my name all night.”

 

“Albus!” Scorpius cried, before coming in his hand, his whole body shaking. Two strokes later, Al came with a grunt as well, before pressing their foreheads together.

 

“Do you actually want to…” Al asked hesitantly.

 

“Mmhhm,” Scorpius sighed happily. “Do you actually wanna go up now?”

 

Al grinned, before standing up straight and cleaning their pants with a wave of his wand.

 

“They’re going to want to cut the cake soon, we shouldn’t miss that,” Al mumbled. “Maybe later tonight though? Once everyone’s gone home or to bed?”

 

Scorpius whined. “That could be hours! You’re really going to make me wait so long?”

 

Al shrugged, fixing his hair in the mirror before heading for the door.

 

“You know I’m worth the wait,” he winked, before opening the door and disappearing once more. _That you are,_ Scorpius thought as let his head fall back against the wall, still trying to catch his breath. _That you are._

 

\-------------------------

 

Scorpius opened one weary eye as he felt Al slip into the bed next to him. He automatically lifted his arms to pull his boyfriend close.

 

“Wha’ timeizit?” he mumbled.

 

“Almost 4 in the morning,” Al mumbled back. “Sorry it took so long, there was a-”

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Scorpius whispered. “You can tell me about it at breakfast, which is in three hours. Get some sleep now.”

 

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to… you know,” Al said, wrapping his arm around Scorpius’ waist.

“It’s okay,” Scorpius sighed. “It’s not okay that I had to hear our dads going at it, which grossed me out and made me jealous at the same time, but it’s okay that you were busy tonight. Like you said, you’re worth the wait.”

 

“Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry Scorp! I should have known better than to give them the room next door to ours…”

 

“Hey, it’s not on you. I cast a silencing charm, it all worked out. We’ll have our own fun eventually.”

 

“Mm, yes, we’ll find a quiet room at a convenient time in Hogwarts castle during exam season, I’m sure of it,” Al said sarcastically.

 

Scorpius groaned as he realised Al was right. They’d probably have to wait until graduation before they got enough time _and_ privacy for anything like that.

 

“How about graduation night then?” Scorpius suggested, feeling the sleep coming on fast. “Let’s get a room somewhere, not in either of our dad’s houses, and have night where it’s just the two of us. We can do whatever we want, no interruptions.”

 

“That sounds lovely,” Al yawned. “Let’s do it.”

 

“Perfect,” Scorp sighed, his eyes falling shut. He breathed in the scent of a warm Al laying on his chest, and moments later they were fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The quote that Harry engraved on Al's watch was originally said by Frank. A. Clark.


	9. Epilogue

_ June 28, 2024 _

 

“And so, without further ado, allow me to present the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Graduating class of two-thousand and twenty-four!”

 

The great hall erupted in cheers at McGonagall’s closing statement. Al turned to grin at Scorpius, who grinned right back.

 

“Our parents are going to be blubbering messes who’ll want pictures and hugs and presents,” Scorpius remarked.

 

“That’s only if they can catch us though,” Al winked. Laughing, they grabbed each others’ hands and dashed out of the hall before anyone could call them back. They didn’t stop running until they reached the gates, where Scorpius grabbed hold of Al and turned on the spot, dissolving into thin air and reappearing in the lobby of the Grand Hotel.

 

“I do feel a little bad just leaving them there though,” Scorpius pointed out as they waited to check in.

 

Al rolled his eyes. “That’s why we took them for dinner  _ before _ the ceremony. Anyway, we told them we’d be away for the weekend, and that we were planning to leave right after the ceremony.” 

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Scorpius sighed, as Al pulled him close for a kiss. A cough from next to them had them jumping apart.

 

“May I help you sirs?” the witch at the desk asked pointedly.

 

“Um, yes, we have a reservation for, uh, Potter and Malfoy,” Al spluttered. “We, um, had our luggage dropped off this morning.” The witch nodded, crossing their names off of her ledger.

 

“You’re in room 825. Your luggage has already been brought up, and the door is keyed to your magical signatures. Enjoy your stay.”

 

“You know what I realised, when you were talking to her?” Scorpius said casually as they stood alone in the elevator. “Our last names would sound pretty cool if they were hyphenated.”

 

Al’s eyes widened in surprise, and Scorpius suddenly realised what that must have sounded like.

 

“Oh, no, Al, that’s not what I…. I actually just meant that they...ye- you know, Potter-Malfoy, or Malfoy-Potter? It’s catchy?” Scorpius trailed off weakly, worried that he’d just ruined the evening. Just as the elevator door opened, though, Al burst out laughing. Relieved, Scorpius joined in.

 

“Man, you’re right, they do sound good. I guess we’ll have to decide which one we get and which one our dads get,” Al said cheekily as he unlocked the door.

 

“Of course you have to ruin the mood by reminding us that our dads are  _ also _ dating, and likely to get married,” Scorpius sighed, loosening his tie and throwing it on a nearby armchair.

 

“They’re probably also going to spend the weekend in bed, just like us. It’s a fact of life,” Al shrugged, kicking his shoes to the side.

 

“I have another fact of life for you right here,” Scorpius said suggestively, grabbing Al’s hand and bringing it to his crotch.

 

“That you’re perpetually horny? I already knew that,” Al chuckled, his fingers fumbling at the buttons of Scorpius’ shirt. They kissed each other as they removed each other’s clothes, the slow, playful mood quickly turning hot and passionate. It wasn’t long before the fell onto the bed in a naked tangle of limbs.

 

“Al,” Scorpius moaned needily, pulling Al on top of him.

 

“You said… you promised… you’d fuck me,” he continued, breathing hard between Al’s searing kisses.

 

“Okay, let’s do... um, we can-”

 

“No, wait, that’s not right. What if we…” he maneuvered them a little bit, but was met with a:

 

“Wait, that hurts. How about this…”

 

“No, no, no, Oh Merlin no!”

 

“Sorry! Do you think…”

 

“Okay that just looks weird.”

 

Al finally collapsed on top of Scorpius with a sigh. 

 

“We’re never going to figure this out,” he moaned.

 

“So, this might sound a bit weird… but I read in the  _ Prophet _ the other day that the author of that book just published a revised edition.”

 

Al shifted so that he was looking up at Scorpius.

 

“Do you think the new version explains how to do… this? With two guys, I mean?”

 

“That’s what her interview said,” Scorpius shrugged. “Maybe we can pick up a copy tomorrow.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” Al agreed, settling back down on top of Scorpius.

 

"Man, I was actually looking forward to this. Well what do we do for tonight then?"

 

"Cuddle by the fire?" Al suggested. 

 

Scorpius stared at him for a moment, before pushing him off and sitting up.

 

"Fuck it. Get your trousers back on, we're going to Flourish and Blotts."

 

  
  


_\-----------------------------------_  
  


> _ Congratulations on your purchase of the second edition of Sex Ed for Witches and Wizards of All Ages! This revised edition has all the great content and information of the first edition, but with the addition of updated topics to reflect our changing world. Unsure how to address newfangled trends like floo-sex or erotic owls? Intrigued by the availability of new toys and clubs? Questioning about your sexuality? Curious about the wide world of kinks? Sex Ed for Witches and Wizards of All Ages, 2nd Edition, covers all that and more! Happy Reading! _

 

_ \----------------------------------- _

 

 

_ fin. _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by a conversation that happened months ago in the Drarry discord about sex ed, how it varies around the world, and how unrealistic sex in fics can sometimes give youth who don't receive adequate sex ed unsafe ideas. This is unfortunately a problem I've witnessed time and again in real life, and it's always a little frustrating to find that some people don't know enough about keeping themselves and their loved ones safe, and how so many people are scared to learn because of the taboos that float around in society. It got me to thinking about all the things we're taught but don't quite do, like seeking consent for kissing, or for sex in an established relationship, or even just for a hug, and how I could make it seem normal. I know it's not an author's responsibility to teach their readers, but my goal with this story was to send a message that sex ed relates to our entire lives, not just fucking, and that it's important to have discussions and learning about it, and that everyone's varied feelings and experiences are valid.
> 
> The contents of this story are in no way an all-encompassing course on sex education, and I am in no way claiming that everything the characters experienced or discussed is what everyone should be doing. If you have any questions, my advice would be to talk to a trusted health care professional. It might seem awkward to you, but I can tell you that they're more than willing to guide you to safe and helpful advice.
> 
> I hope you, dear reader, enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that it gave you something to think about. Stay safe <3


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